The Longest Wait
by waterdragon719
Summary: We all know what happened to Link in the Chamber of Sages, but what about Navi? She can't have just slept for seven years...with evil sinking it's way into Hyrule, she will be forced to confront herself...and her love for the one she thought was lost. OoT
1. The Chamber of Sages

G'day Ladies and Gents, welcome to my second Zelda fic. I hope you all enjoy the show, and if I totally mess it up feel free to point out my mistakes :) Just before we begin, I will apologise in advance if my updates arn't exactly frequent...I actually have a lot on my plate right now, and only get to write in my free time (which I doubt I will have when I leave the country in a few months) so don't think i've abandoned you...I will try and write as many chapters as I can in the time alloted to me :)

If you like it, you can tell me by clicking the little review button below. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Period.

* * *

When Navi awoke, the first thing she thought about was Link.

She instantly snapped wide awake and jumped up off the floor, wings fluttering in a panic. She looked around, ignoring the blue wavy walls that surrounded her and searching out for the familiar green tunic. Within seconds she'd spotted the boy, lying with his face down to the floor, blonde hair flopped messily around his face, the Master Sword still gripped firmly in his left hand.

She darted over to him, eyes wide with fear.

"Link!" she cried, flying around his head. "Link! Are you okay?"

The boy did not stir. Navi tried to pushed some of his hair out of his face, and then tapped him on the forehead.

"Link! Wake up!"

His eyes were shut tight, almost like he was sleeping. He didn't seem hurt, but Navi wasn't taking any chances. She tried to force his lids open, but his eyes only stared at her unblinking, not a peep.

Navi's fear turned to desperation. She attempted to push him over by pressing her tiny fairy arms to his shoulder and pushing with all her might. Her wings beat furiously, but the most she could do was tire herself out. She gave up and began wriggling into his tunic to find a potion, but only found a bottle of Lon Lon Milk.

"That's do." She muttered, and then she pulled. The bottle rolled out of the tunic easily, but the cork sealing it was a lot harder for the little fairy to move. She clawed at it, she tried pulling it, but eventually she just let it go. Instead of opening it, she slowly hauled out the Kokiri sword from Link's sheath on his back and dragged it as high as she could. Grunting with the effort, she positioned it above the bottle and then dropped it.

_Crack!_ The fragile bottle broke in half and the pieces dropped everywhere. A small tide of milk spilled out across the floor and began dripping down what Navi realized was a blue platform, slightly opaque like glass and surrounded by five colored circles, each with an emblem carved in the surface. She was slightly taken aback by the strange sight, but came to her senses when she realized the precious milk was sliding off and disappearing down into an endless pit below. If Link woke up, it looked like they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Carefully, she picked up a fragment of glass and gathered some milk onto it. She fluttered over to Link and forced his lips open, then poured the milk inside. She shut his lips and tried to push his head up to make him swallow, but the milk just dribbled out of his mouth and splashed onto her wings, forcing her to the ground with a small thud. She took a minute to recover, each second seeing another drop of milk fall down into the depths.

"No!" she shouted. She tried to crawl over to the precious liquid, but her wings were so soggy she could barely move an inch. She could only watch as her last attempt to wake up her companion dribbled into oblivion. She felt her eyes stinging, and forced back a sob of despair.

"Do not fear, fairy." A voice said, startling her. "Your companion is safe here."

Navi looked up. Through blurry eyes, she could make out a large, brown blob, and when she rubbed her eyes she was greeting with the sight of an old, stout man who spouted a white beard and wore grand robes, the likes of which Navi had only seen bestowed upon royalty. Her first instinct was to bow respectfully, but then she remembered where they were. She struggled to her feet, slipping under the weight of her soaked wings.

"Who are you?" she demanding, casting all respect aside. "Where are we? And what have you done to Link?"

The man nodded. "Is that his name? Link..." he thought for a moment. "Very fitting."

Navi's eyes narrowed. "Answer my question. Who are you?" The man considered her for a moment, and then bowed his head.

"I am Rauru, the Sage of Light, one of the few remaining Sages of Hyrule." He smiled at her. "And you?"

Navi bowed cautiously. "I am Navi, sent by the Great Deku Tree to be this young boy's companion." She didn't feel the need to inform this stranger of their quest. Best to suspect everything until she was sure she could trust him. "Where are we?"

"You are in the Chamber of Sages." Rauru gestured to the shimmering blue walls, "One of the few secret resting places of the Sages. While you are in this room, no harm shall come to you, be assured of that."

"Why are we here?" Navi asked, wanting desperately to get to the point. "What happened to Link?"

Rauru pursed his lips, as if hesitant to answer the question. Navi waited patiently, flicking her wings every so often to dry them. Eventually, Rauru spoke again, but this time he proceeded with caution.

"Your charge opened the Door of Time." He began, "In doing so, he pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. It chose its master…your companion is to be the legendary Hero of Time."

Under normal circumstances, Navi would have swelled with pride. However, with said companion knocked out on the floor and Rauru being so cautious, she became further convinced that something was up.

"What do you mean 'to be'?" she asked. "If he's the Hero of Time, shouldn't he be completing his quest?"

There was a long pause. Rauru was obviously trying to say what he had to say while causing the least amount of trouble…an angry fairy was not a force to be reckoned with. Navi again waited patiently, but the next words Rauru spoke made her wish she had waited longer.

"You were sent on a false quest." The sage explained, face blank and unblinking. "When the Door of Time was opened, the Sacred Realm was exposed. You lead the evil king of the Gerudos, Ganondorf, into the Sacred Realm. In doing so, you removed the Master Sword, but your charge was too young to take such a powerful position. The sword has sealed him in the Sacred Realm until such a time as he is fit to carry the title Hero of Time."

Navi shook her head. "No. No. This isn't right. Princess Zelda…"

Rauru sighed. "Princess Zelda was too young to realize what she was doing. Because of her actions, she has caused her own premonitions to come true. I tried to minimize the damage, but Ganondorf was too powerful. He invaded the Sacred Realm, and as we speak his poison is spreading through Hyrule."

"No…" Navi whimpered. All their hard work, for nothing…

"Fear not." Rauru assured her. "It was no-one's fault. But now, I'm afraid that your charge must face the consequences of his actions."

Navi raised an eyebrow and flicked her wing again. "What 'consequences'?"

"Pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal was a mistake. The sword was only meant to be used by the Hero of Time…but he is not a hero yet. The sword sent him to sleep, and I sent you both here to prevent Ganondorf from corrupting him. He will not awaken until he is fit to wear his title."

Navi began flushing red. She beat her wings hard, and eventually she managed to get off the ground and float up to Rauru's face. She looked him in the eyes, a new anger welling inside her.

"It sent him to sleep?" she asked incredulously. "Why don't you _wake him up?_"

"I'm afraid I cannot" Rauru said apologetically. "I am before you as a spirit, and nothing more. My true body is hidden in another chamber, far away from Hyrule…"

"But you're a sage!" Navi protested. "You can't just let him sleep...how long will he sleep?"

Rauru shrugged. "I cannot say. It may be a year, it may be several."

Navi's eyes widened. "A _year?_ He can't sleep for a year! He…he has a home. We have a home! We have a mission! He's only ten years old…"

"It's is not my decision." Rauru took a small step backwards as Navi inched closer to his nose. "The sword chooses its master. He will be much older by the time he wakes, if that is what the sword decides."

Navi looked down at Link, still dripping the remains of the Lon Lon Milk from his chin. She was reminded of when she first met him in Kokiri forest, when he was fast asleep in his bed, knowing little of what was about to happen to him. She frowned, and then turned back to Rauru.

"No." she said. "No. I won't let you do that to him. He's suffered enough already, I won't let you take away the only thing he has left."

Rauru shook his head. "The boy…"

"No!" Navi shouted. "He's not 'the boy'! His name is Link, and you should call him so! He isn't the Hero of Time, he's just a little boy who was trying to do what he thought was right! You will wake him up _now!_"

Rauru suddenly glared at Navi, the expression looking strange on his normally serene face.

"I will do no such thing, fairy." He countered, meeting her fiery gaze with an equally fierce glare. "The boy will stay. If he does not, he may never wake to defeat the king of evil. The Master Sword chose for a reason…the boy may be our only chance."

Navi kept his gaze, and they both remained locked for a minute or so before Navi spoke, her small fairy voice cold as ice and sharp as a blade.

"I don't think you know who you are talking to." She said. "I am Navi, fairy of the Kokiri Forest, summoned by the Great Deku Tree to be this boy's companion and guardian. Your 'hero' is my responsibility, and if you won't wake him I will myself."

Rauru snorted, something that caught Navi slightly off guard. He smiled at her, but it was not a very nice smile.

"The 'Great Deku Tree' has no power here. I will allow you to come and go from here as you please from now on, but if you continue to show such disrespect you will not be staying." He explained as if that was the final order.

Navi growled. "Try and stop me!" she shouted, and flew right at his face. Instead of hitting his forehead as planned, however, she sailed right through him and was sent careening into the wall on the other side. She heard faint chuckling behind her before finally smashing into something that was, unlike Rauru's face, very real and very hard. The pain shattered through her body, and it became far too much for her fragile fairy body to handle and she blacked out, but not before catching one last glimpse of Rauru leaning over Link, still sleeping more peacefully than she had ever seen.

* * *

When Navi woke up, it was very dark. A torch was lit in the distance, and when she blinked a couple for times she realized she was inside the Temple of Time. The stick the torch had been lit on was very low and a small pile of ashes had congregated on the floor, so she must have been there a few hours at the least. It took Navi a few more minutes for her brain to sort itself out, and when it did she shot up off the floor and rushed over to the empty pedestal that used to house the Master Sword. It was missing.

"No!" she shouted, the reality sinking in. "Link! Link, where are you!"

She ran over to the nearest wall and pushed, hoping to stumble upon a hidden entrance. She pushed the next wall, but to no avail.

"There has to be an entrance here somewhere." She muttered, and then she pressed the next wall. Nothing happened. Frustrated, she pounded her fists against the wall.

"Rauru!" She shouted. "I don't care if you're a sage or not, you will let me in!"

There was no answer. Navi continued to pound and shout in the small hope that she would be allowed to return to Link's side. She would have kept on pounding her fists against the wall until they were numb and bleeding, if t wasn't for something that she caught out of the corner of her eye.

On the floor lay a small wooden ocarina, so small many would have missed it. When Navi flew down to pick it up, it was just the right size and fitted neatly in her palms. It was very similar to Saria's ocarina, but for a small difference. There was a blue stripe around its side, and it had only three holes with which to play. Inside the mouthpiece, Navi found a small piece of paper, on which was written a simple sentence.

"_Play the song that only a fairy can hear, and it will take you to the end of your journey._" She read. As soon as she finished, she scrunched up the note in her hand and held her fist to her forehead. The stupid Sage had left her a riddle. The words of the Great Deku Tree flashed in her mind…

_Navi, go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me…I do not have much time left. Fly, Navi, fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends on thee!_

The Great Deku Tree had been her protector for her entire life, never asking anything in return. He'd only ever asked her one thing before he died: Guide the boy without a fairy. Well, she'd guided him. She'd fought with him. She'd saved him on numerous occasions. And then she'd gone and lost him to a stupid Sage (was he even a Sage or not?) and had no idea how she was supposed to get him back. She'd let down the one person who had always taken care of her, and she couldn't even redeem herself.

The Great Deku Tree was dead. She'd stood there and watched as his branches had turned brittle and his first leaves had fallen, but she hadn't really believed it. _Sure_, he's dead. He's the Great Deku Tree…he'll come back somehow. But he wasn't coming back, and neither was Link.

A tear fell from her eyes and made a small 'plop' on the floor. She hadn't even noticed she was crying…but someone else had.

"Did you hear that?" a deep voice came from the shadows. Navi whirled around just in time to see a shadow enter the temple. Fast as lightning, she flew up to the roof of the temple and hid in the deepest of shadows to mask her brilliant glow. Footsteps came closer, and then the two shapes appeared in Navi's line of sight. She gasped.

"I heard something again!" the Stalfos exclaimed, jumping nervously and pulling the sword out of its sheath. It was dressed in a blue cloak that seemed to shimmer slightly, and Navi instantly knew it was coated with magic. Between his legs there was a strange bulge, and a second late a Stalchild emerged, also spouting a similar cloak. The Stalchild rolled his eyes, and Navi tilted her head a little in an effort to catch what it was saying.  
"Don't be stupid." It said, it's childish voice laced with mischief. "No-one is here. The charm Master Stal gave us worked."

"What if someone saw us enter the temple?" The Stalfos asked again, gripping his bronze blade a little harder. The Stalchild looked around for a minute, and then walked toward the Master Sword's pedestal.

"Does it matter?" it asked. "We got what we came for. Master Ganondorf will be pleased with us." He bent down and picked up something off the pedestal, but Navi couldn't get a clear view. If she leaned over even a tiny bit she would be out in the open, and with Ganondorf loose in the Sacred Realm…

Navi's mind span. So it was true. Ganondorf had invaded the Sacred Realm, and Rauru had spoken the truth. So what would she do now?

The Stalchild and the Stalfos looked away, examining their prize. In that brief second, Navi knew exactly what to do. With Link trapped in the Chamber of Sages, she had no-one to fight with her, no-one to help her, no-one to get her out of this mess. She did the only thing she could do.

She ran.


	2. The First Day

Navi exited the Temple without a sound. Once outside, her sense of urgency passed…she floated slowly down the path that lead away from the Temple of Time, and within minutes she was outside the Castle Town market place. People walked around as usual, buying this and buying that and selling this and selling that and going to and fro across the square as if everything was normal. But Navi knew that everything had changed. There was an empty spot by her side where Link should be, clutching his sword and mumbling something about hating crowds, running through stores and admiring the goods while she hung over his shoulder and warned him about potential collisions with stallholders. She could almost feel the hole, a big child shaped gap in the air, and it made her feel empty too. Not to mention the fact that evil had infested Hyrule and eventually this market would be taken over, its people enslaved…and the only one who could stop it was not in any condition to save them.

Navi entered the crowd lazily, almost like the butterflies that hung around the grass. She occasionally caught snippets of conversation as she passed through the square, but it all seemed like meaningless dribble. She exited as quietly as she had come, and then made her way towards the gate that signaled the end of the castle. The guard who stood by it nodded to her briefly as she passed, but other than that she left the town undisturbed.

Out in Hyrule field, the sun was shining brightly. To Navi, it seemed odd that it didn't reflect her feelings. It should have been dark and cloudy, and rain should have been splattering the grass across Hyrule field. It should have been a miserable day, but instead it was sunny and happy and everything she was not. The weather was mocking her, she thought bitterly as she stared across Hyrule field.

She glanced at the ocarina in her hand again. It felt strange and heavy in her hand…she wished she had something to put it in…she glanced around for anything that might be of use. Thankfully, there was a tree nearby, and she flew over to that and picked a few leaves and a splinter of wood. Grabbing a small blade of grass from the ground, she sat at the base of the tree and then began ripping up the grass to use as thread.

It was a skill she'd learnt long ago, taught to her by her teachers when she was a young fairy. Thankfully, she still remembered them…an hour or so later she had constructed a small bag, sturdy enough to swing over her shoulder and carry anything she might find on her trip. She felt proud of her accomplishment for a while, but then she was left simply sitting under the tree, staring into space.

_What do I do now?_ She thought to herself. A brief gust of wind was all she got in answer. She looked towards the East, and suddenly noticed that it was already becoming dark.

_Oh dear._ She thought to herself. _If I don't get back to Hyrule…_

There was a clacking sound a short way away from her. Navi's head whipped in the direction, only to watch the drawbridge into Hyrule Castle Town pulling itself up. She sighed dejectedly, and then forced herself to sit up. She looked across the field and tried to guess how far away Kokiri Forest was.

_It will take at least a day._ She thought to herself. She didn't really want to travel by night, but what else was she going to do? She didn't want to go back to Castle Town, she didn't want to go to Kakariko, and she certainly didn't want to go back to the Temple of Time, lest the monsters were still there. Until she figured out the ocarina riddle, she wouldn't even be able to hide in the Chamber of Sages. As the sun began to set, Navi realized that she was totally alone. And it scared her. She'd never been totally alone…ever! She spent her childhood surrounded by fairies, and until now she had never left Link's side. But now there was no-one for her to follow, talk to, anything…well, except perhaps the bunny man, but he wouldn't stop running across Hyrule for a fairy.

For the first time in her life, she felt lonely.

The sun dropped behind the hills at last, and with it came the sudden feeling of anticipation that Navi always felt before night settled across Hyrule Field. It was the feeling of magic in the air, the buzz of activity below the surface. She looked down, and realized she was still standing under the tree trunk.

She shrieked and darted into the air, and a split second later a Stalchild popped out of the ground and reached out a bony, disfigured hand to catch her. Navi flew up a little faster, and cursed herself for being so careless. That was another problem with not having a big boy with a sword to protect you…if she had stayed on the ground any longer, she would be dead by now. She climbed higher still, then finally stopped and looked down. It was a frightening sight that met here eyes…dozens of Stalchildren had popped out of the ground and were now roaming the field, a few locking eyes with her for a brief moment before slipping back into a methodical limp across the field. She'd never realized that there were so many…it really brought home to her how small she was. A tiny fairy in the big wide world. That once again brought her back to the question…what was she going to do?

A scream pierced the night air, and Navi got her answer.

She swiveled her head towards the voice. Barely a few meters away, a boy was clawing at a tree trunk, desperately trying to get up it. Surrounding him were about five Stalchildren, and they were advancing. It was slow, but not slow enough…the boy cried out again and this time Navi heard words.

"Help!" he screamed, "Somebody help me!"

Without even thinking, Navi dove straight through the air and towards the boy. The Stalchildren had not noticed her descent yet, but they were getting ever closer to the boy. Navi caught a glimpse of his terrified face, and through the fog of adrenaline she guessed he was about eleven, twelve years old at the most. When she got down there, she flew up behind the Stalchildren and shouted as loud as she could.

"Hey!" she cried. The boy looked up in surprise, instantly followed by a wave of Stalchildren all turning at once. Many pairs of glowing eyes stared back at her, and Navi reflected that perhaps drawing attention to herself had not been the best idea. Now she was trapped…if she attempted to dodge an attack, they would turn back to the boy, but she had nothing with her to stand and fight with.

Except, of course, an ocarina.

There was a brief moment where the Stalchildren looked at Navi with curiosity, but then one of them jumped. Navi flipped backwards a little, enough to dodge the attack but not enough to draw attention away from herself. In fact, she just drew more…she turned around briefly and noticed that the other Stalchildren in the field were watching.

_Oh dear._ She thought to herself as she grappled for the ocarina. _This is not good._

She grabbed the ocarina out of the bag and brought it to her lips. She fumbled with the holes, trying desperately to remember how Link played it and what the Sun Song. Mostly she hoped the three holes on the ocarina would play it…Link's had five. If she couldn't play it, then she was stuck.

Notes flew from the small instrument, but none of the combinations were right. Navi's fingers rushed across its surface as the Stalchildren advanced, closer and closer…

Suddenly, she felt a thrill of electricity in the air. Three notes sung from the ocarina, and Navi wiped her brow with relief. Magic was afoot, which meant she'd played the Sun Song. Any minute now, the Stalchildren would disappear and the boy would run free.

She looked up at the sky and her face fell. The sun was moving, but it was creeping across the sky at a very slow pace. She shoved the ocarina back in her mouth and played the sun song again, but it didn't advance any faster. Perhaps it was that her ocarina was too small to have such an impact, or maybe her unskilled playing, but whatever was wrong wasn't going to stop the Stalchildren's advance. And advancing they were, their disfigured limbs moving them faster and faster, but no longer towards Navi. The Sun Song had shattered their confidence, and now they were moving back to an easier target. Because of her distraction, the crowd of skeletons had grown, and it now seemed like an entire field was heading towards the boy.

Navi shot towards the tree, staying just above the mob's heads so that they could not reach her. She eventually found the boy stuck on a small branch, clinging on for dear life. She flitted up to him and he looked up at her in surprise.

"Wha-?"

"Have you got a sword?" Navi interrupted, looking down at the Stalchildren nervously. The boy shook his head, a stunned look on his face.

"Have you got a shield?" she asked. Again the boy shook his head.

"Have you got _anything?_" She asked, exasperated. The Stalchildren were at the base of the tree now, and were looking up curiously into the branches. The boy reached behind him and produced a small brown pack, and then frantically began searching through it.

"I have this!" he said, procuring a large glass bottle from his bag. Navi tried to get a clear view of his face, but it was so dark everything was blurry around the edges.

"A lot of good that will do…" she muttered, glancing down again, "Didn't you bring anything with you? Hyrule field is dangerous!"

"I didn't know that!" the boy protested, and then they both screamed as the tree swayed. The Stalchildren had each taken a section of tree and were now rocking it, trying to dislodge their prey from below. The boy dived into the bag again.

"All we need is a distraction!" she said quickly. "Do you have anything shiny?" The boy rolled his eyes.

"Oh yes!" he said. "I carry shiny things with me all the time, just in case I get attacked by a bunch of skeletons!"

Navi glared at him. "No time to be cheeky, boy. I'm saving your life here!"

There was another knock against the tree, stronger this time. The boy continued to rummage through the bag, and then he cried out with relief and pulled out what, when she squinted, appeared to Navi as a small stick.

"What are you going to do with that?!" she shouted. "They'll knock us down!"  
The boy ignored her, and he brought the stick close to his lips. Two seconds later, a beautiful sound came out. It sounded odd, slightly reedy, but perfectly in tune and with the same static shock that Navi got whenever Link played. Whatever song this kid was playing, it was special…and it was building up.

Suddenly, there was a burst of light. Navi wasn't sure where it came from, but it was so bright she had to shut her eyes tightly to stop it burning into her mind. When she opened them again and blinked the specks in her vision away, she noticed the Stalchildren were stumbling around, clutching their eyes and groaning with pain. She looked up to the horizon, and almost cheered when she saw that the sun was almost up.

"Yes!" The boy cried. "We did it!"

Suddenly, the tree jolted again. A lone Stalchild had gripped the tree trunk and was furiously cutting away at it with its fingers. The tree began tilting violently, and the boy only managed to hold on by kneeling down and gripping the tree branch with all his might.

"Hold on!" Navi warned him, and then she fluttered down and danced circles around the Stalchild's head. It momentarily stopped it's clawing to look at her, and then tried to grab her out of thin air. Navi flew faster circles, trying to lead him away from the tree, but it didn't seem to want to budge. It reached out its hand a final time and caught her, instantly pulling her back and squeezing. Navi was too shocked to react immediately, but by the time she'd recovered the air was already being pushed out of her lungs. She coughed and spluttered as the breath was pushed out of her, she was in so much pain...for her oxygen starved body, it was too much. She blacked out, and the last sound she heard was a tree falling behind her with a frightening crash.

_I've failed. _She thought before losing consciousness. _Again._

* * *

Navi blinked. The sun was shining brightly, really brightly. It hurt to have her eyes open. She shut them again and wriggled around a little, checking whether she was still alive. There was a slight tingling sensation in her chest which told her that her healing powers were working, so that was a good sign. It also seemed all her limbs were attached, also a good sign. Now all she had to do was get up and check that her head wasn't a pile of jelly. She began to push up slowly, and when she wasn't overcome by dizziness she figured that all was okay. She opened her eyes again, and as she forced her eyes to adjust to the sunlight the night's events came back to her. Her head turned towards the tree, and the full extent of the damage was revealed. Navi was surprised the tree had lasted so long…it had been completely torn to bits by the Stalchild, and the remaining trunk was in tatters. The top of the tree was crushed by the fall, and somewhere tangled beneath the branches she saw a little arm poking out at a rather strange angle.

_Oh no._ She thought, fearing the worst. She rushed over and tried to tug some of the branches away, but they wouldn't budge. She glanced the boy's face in the branches, and relief sank through her as she realized he was breathing.

She guessed that the quickest way to get help was to fly to Kakariko village. If she was fast, she could get the boy out of Hyrule Field before sundown. She hesitated, not wanting to leave the poor boy, but then decided that it was worth the risk and headed off as fast as her wings could take her.

And that was just the beginning.


	3. Roland's Quest

A/N: Interestingly enough, I've been churning out chapters quicker than usual (probably not a good sign as I'm meant to be doing French practice :S ) so I might give you guys a few days gaps in the next one...

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I made a Beta Reader profile! Yay! So if any of you are interested, take a peek.

Thats all. You can get back to reading now :D

* * *

Navi sat on the beside table in Kakariko village, almost falling asleep at the sheer boredom of waiting. The boy hadn't stirred for at least an hour…he'd briefly flitted into consciousness earlier, but it was only to ask for water, and by the time one of the carpenters had returned with the water he was out again. Navi waited by him the whole time, begging for him to just bat an eyelid. It scarily echoed the events that had occurred only the day before, with Link and the Sage…

She tried not to think about it.

Now that she could actually see him, Navi had studied the boy closely. He was, as she suspected, about eleven or twelve. He had short, floppy brown hair that was kept tied back by a small grey cap. He was currently wearing a faded blue-green tunic that Anju the cucco lady had only been happy to donate, as the clothes he had been wearing had been ripped beyond repair. His bag had been recovered unscathed (mostly) however, and was lying beside his bed unopened.

Suddenly, Navi heard a rustling in the bed sheets. She turned to the boy, and stood up when she saw his eyes flutter.

"Morning." She said happily, flapping up until she was at eye level. The boy groaned, and his eyes slowly opened.

"Where am I?" he mumbled sleepily, "What am I doing…here…"

Navi shook her head. "Don't talk too fast. You've had a rough time…that tree battered you around a bit." She paused, "You're in Kakariko village. Last night you got attacked by some Stalchildren, remember? I saved you."

The boy stared at her stupidly for a moment, and then smiled weakly. Navi was once again reminded of his age by the small baby teeth still embedded in the corners of his mouth. There was even a small gap between his two front teeth…almost cute, if he wasn't so dirty around the face.

"Oh yeah." He croaked. "I remember now." He reached over to the bedside table, grabbed the glass of water and began drinking it down, his throat bobbing with each gulp.

"Slow down there!" Navi warned him. "You'll get sick if you drink too fast!"

The boy ignored her. When he'd finished, he put down the glass and wiped his mouth dry, then attempted to sit up straight. It was slow work, but he managed to get up and face her. Only then did he look upon her with gratitude in his eyes.

"Thanks for helping me." He said, grinning now, "I would have been done for if you hadn't come and stopped those…what were they?"

Navi nodded. "Stalchildren. That's okay. I just happened to be there at the right time."

The boy pursed his lips, taking in this new information. "I'm Roland, by the way." he added shyly. Navi smiled, his childish tone of voice tugging at her little fairy heartstrings.

"I'm Navi." She introduced herself with a bow, and then hovered closer to his eyes, "Now, I've got to ask…what in Hyrule were you doing in the field at _night?_"

Roland pursed his lips, and waited a moment or two before answering. "Well, the thing is…I don't really know."

There was a long pause, and then Navi raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

Roland shook his head. "I just woke up there." He said absently, "And…and then I saw all the skeletons and I panicked…" he trailed off, and he looked like he was deep in thought. Navi waited, but when he didn't talk again she decided to ask another question.

"Where's your family?" she asked as politely as she could. "They'll be worried about you."

Roland frowned again, his face riddled with confusion. "I…I don't know. All I remember is waking up in the field…and my bag…" his eyes widened and his head darted towards Navi. "Where's my bag?"

Navi jumped backwards, surprised by his sudden urgency. "Uh…just on the floor over there…" Roland reached over and she heard a sigh of relief as his hands closed in around the bag's straps. He pulled it up onto the bed, and slowly began unpacking it. Navi watched as he pulled out a couple of bottles, three apples, a notebook, a small pencil and a big stick that Navi realized, on closer examination, was a flute.

"This…" he held it in his hands, and bounced it lightly. "I've had this since I was really little…" he lifted it to his lips and blew a short note, and it rang around the cottage for a few seconds before petering away into nothing. It was one of the most beautiful notes Navi had ever heard, second only to Link's ocarina. She could have sworn she'd heard it before too…one never forgets a sound like that. The boy carefully put it down, and then reached further into the bag and pulled out a small pink carving. Navi flew a little closer to get a good look, and saw that it was a spiral, almost like the shape of a sea shell. He stared at it, and his mouth formed a small 'oh'.

"This is from someone." He seemed to be thinking out loud, "I think it's important." He put the rock back in the bag, and then lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. A few seconds later, Navi noticed tears welling up at the bottom of his eyes.

"I don't…remember who I am…" he sobbed. Navi could only sit and watch, slightly embarrassed. She'd never been comfortable around crying people, and she especially didn't know what to say to a twelve year old. She tried to think back to the days when Link had cried, but could only think of one: the day that the Deku Tree had died and they had first ventured out into Hyrule field. They'd entered Hyrule Castle Town cold, tired and hungry, and they were walking to the castle when Link stopped, sat on the ground and began crying. When she asked what was wrong, he'd just looked up at her with red eyes and said, "Everything."

It was one of the worst things Navi had ever witnessed. She half expected him to go home there and then, just run back and forget his destiny…but no, he wouldn't. He got up, wiped his eyes dry and continued walking towards the castle, never once looking back. Navi never asked him about it again. And now, here she was, faced with a similar scenario, still clueless about what to do.

She jumped up to Roland's hand and held his little finger, stroking the nail gently with her delicate hands.

"Don't worry." She cooed, trying to sound soothing. "Nothing's as bad as it seems."

Roland looked at her and sniffed. "Really?"

Navi bit her lip; grateful for once that her bright glow hid her body from everyone else. What to say next? The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Tell you what…" she began. "I'll help you find your family. We'll go on an adventure, just the two of us, and we'll find your family. Does that sound good?"

Roland sniffed again, and then nodded. Navi let go of his hand.

"Good." She said. "Now, you get some rest. You're not going anywhere without resting first."

She flew over to the sheets and attempted to pull them up over his shoulders, but Roland gently took them from her.

"It's okay." He whispered. "I'll be fine."

Navi took that as her exit, and gave Roland a little kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well." She muttered. "We've got a big adventure ahead of us."

* * *

As soon as Navi exited the room, she realized what a mistake she'd just made.

She quickly escaped the house through a window and the cool night air blew over her, calming her down instantly. Fairies were connected to nature in more ways than one…a fairy could never stay inside for too long. The wind always called them.

It didn't make her decision any less stupid, though.

She put her palms up against the nearest wall and sighed. It had only been a day, and already she was running off again, preparing for a new adventure. She should be more worried about Link, and how to get him out of his slumber. Surely, out of all the things Navi could think of doing, _that_ should be the first priority. But no, she had to open her big mouth. Now she was saddled with another child who didn't have a clue who he was, what he was doing here and how he was supposed to find out.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

She was Link's guardian. Not Saria's, not Mido's, not Roland's, _Link's_. She had a duty to protect _Link_. She'd already failed at that, so why was she being so careless now?

Her mind wandered back to the Temple of Time, when the Stalchild had picked up something by the Master Sword's pedestal. The first sign something sinister was about to happen. What had he said…something about 'Master Stal'. Navi had no idea who that was, but she did know that it meant trouble. And if Link couldn't protect Hyrule against trouble, who would?

It was up to her. Only she knew of the dangers lurking in the shadows, the evil sweeping across the shadows and the monsters about to be released. If Hyrule couldn't be saved, at least she could minimize the damage. Rauru had promised Link a safe slumber and guaranteed his awakening, so in the meantime what was stopping her helping Hyrule prepare for an invasion? And if that involved helping a poor child find his parents, then so be it. It made her happy to think that it was what Link wanted, but it made her sad to think that they wouldn't be doing it together, and at the end he would still wake up with a year missing from his life and a whole armada to fight.

Oh well. Life was like that sometimes. But, in times such as these, you just had to get on with it. Navi knew from experience…the only way out was forward.

She pulled out the ocarina from her bag and blew a single note. It echoed slightly around the village for a moment, and then dissipated into thin air like a breath on the wind. Navi wished she'd paid more attention to Saria and Link when they'd played…at least then something would have made sense.

She blew another note, and continued doing so until the sun had risen and the cuccos began a song of their own to wake up Kakariko for another day.

* * *

Roland was not ready to leave for about three days. During those three days, Navi had plenty of time to think about whether she wanted to help him on his quest, but when she saw him packing up the clothes that had been given to him, her stomach still flipped slightly at the prospect of traveling again.

"Do you have everything?" she asked Roland nervously. The boy nodded and shoved another tunic in his bag.

"Yep." He said, surprisingly energized. "Can we go?"

Navi hesitated. "Have you got food and water?"

Roland rolled his eyes. "You asked me that already. We have food, water, clothes and a couple of healing potions…can we go now?"

Navi flew up to the bag and checked it for holes. "You never know…we may need to trade something. I mean, you never know with the outside world. We could get attacked by a Peahat as soon as we get out there." Roland looked confused, and Navi realized he probably didn't know much about the monsters in Hyrule if he couldn't remember his own life. "Uh…it's a plant. Thing. Never mind, we'll probably see one outside anyway. All sorts of odd things have happened to me while I've been around."

"Like what?" Roland asked, grabbing the bag and slinging it around his shoulder. Navi shrugged.

"Lots of things." She said again, and then headed for the door. "Alright, if you really want to go, let's go."

Before Navi had even reached the door, Roland was grappling with the handle. He pushed his way out and began running towards Hyrule Field. Navi stopped to thank the boss carpenter on her way past.

"Thanks for all the help." She said politely. "It was very nice of you."

The carpenter scoffed at her. "You should keep that boy under control. All play and no work will make him a lazy adult, I tell you!"

Navi nodded. "Of course sir. I will do so sir."

_What a mean man…_she reflected as she flew away, in a hurry to catch up with Roland. On her way out, she was stopped by the clock guard.

"Hey! Fairy!" he called, standing in her way. "Where's your Hero?"

Navi stopped in her tracks, then once again put on her polite voice and tried to dodge him. "Sir, I don't know what you…"

"You always walk in with that boy. Where is he?"

Navi flicked around his head. "Sorry sir, you must have the wrong fairy. I've got to be going now…"

The guard jumped in front of her. "No, no, I'm not mistaken. There aren't that many fairies in Hyrule. So, what did you do with that little forest boy?"

"Nothing." Navi flew to the side. "If you could please let me…"

"_Navi!_"

Navi looked over the guards shoulder and saw Roland running up to her, waving his arms frantically.

"Navi! _Come on!_" he cried impatiently. "I want to go!" the guard turned and stared at the boy for a second, and then he stepped aside and let Navi pass.

"I swear he was taller." The guard grumbled as she passed by. Navi glared at him, and then followed Roland out of the village. Roland looked up at her curiously, "What was that all about?"  
Hot tears were stinging Navi's eyes. She fluttered down to Roland's shoulder and perched there rubbing her eyes as they went along. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

They came to the bottom of the stairs leading to Kakariko, and they both stared across the field before Navi realized that neither of them knew where they were going. Roland looked slightly surprised too, and he looked down at her expectantly, as if she was supposed to know where to go first.

"Uh…" Navi got up off his shoulder and looked around. "Ur…I found you over there." She pointed in the general direction the Stalchildren had attacked them, and then realized he couldn't see her pointing anyway. "Over here!"

She flew off in the chosen direction, leaving Roland to plod along excitedly behind her. It was surprisingly refreshing for Navi, watching him run after her like a tiny child playing Hidey Go Peek in the forest and pretending they were all grown up, big heroes and for the child who was picked last for the game, the bigger villain. It was almost a relief to see childish innocence in what Navi now knew was such trying times.

They eventually reached the fallen tree. Well, Roland reached the tree…Navi was tired after a restless night of worry and had just let him run ahead of her. He sat and waited with an apple in hand while she drifted slowly towards him, pausing occasionally to check the sun. But the time they were together again, it was low in the sky.

"We should keep going." She said, looking across the field. "Kokiri Forest isn't that far from here. We could make it if we walked fast." Roland looked skeptical.

"What if we get caught by the Stalchildren?" he asked anxiously, obviously not in a hurry to repeat his previous encounter. Navi simply shrugged and sat down beside him.

"We don't have a lot of choice." She stated bluntly. "If we stay here, we've got no cover at all. At least if we make it to Kokiri Forest we can-"

Roland suddenly thrust his hand out, almost throwing Navi backwards. She was about to stand up and ask what he thought he was doing, but he had a hand on his mouth and was signaling her to be quiet. The sense of urgency was immediate, and Navi instantly flew up to his ear and looked for the source of alarm. A few seconds later, she noticed a strange shape limping towards them.

"Is it a Stalchild?" Roland asked, voice shaking with fear. Navi squinted, but the figure was still too fuzzy to see clearly.  
"Stalchildren only come out at night." She said, "It's not quite night yet." She squinted again, and she swore that the thing in question was wearing a green tunic. She moved a little closer to get a better view, but Roland ushered her back.  
"No!" he whispered frantically, "What are you doing?! We have no idea who that is!"

Navi moved closer. "I know. But it's too early to be a Stalchild, Peahats fly, and I don't know of any other monsters that walk around Hyrule at this time of day." She stared at it, "And I don't know of any with green skin either."

They both watched as the thing in question came nearer. What Navi had thought was skin was actually a tunic. Her heart skipped a beat and she took a sharp intake of breath. Roland heard it, and looked up at her with one eyebrow raised.

"What is it?" he asked, "Is it a monster?"

Navi ignored him and began flying towards it. Roland took this as a good sign and ran after her, stumbling a little as he tried to navigate through the trees blocking the way. Navi had almost reached the figure when it looked up at her, and she reeled back in shock as her fears were confirmed.

"Mido?!"

The Kokiri child reached out a hand. "Navi…" he croaked his voice so harsh and brittle it almost didn't sound like his own. He wobbled a little, unsteady on his feet, and then collapsed into a heap on the ground.


	4. Navi, Come Hither

"Mido!" Navi cried, rushing to the Kokiri child's aid. "What are you doing here? Kokiri children aren't supposed to leave the forest!"

Mido coughed. Roland leaned over the boy and rummaged around in his bag for a healing potion.

"Is he sick?" he asked, un-bottling the potion and putting it in front of him. Mido reached forward with shaking hands and grabbed it, then held it to his mouth and drank, the red liquid sloshing around the bottle precariously as he did so. He finished the entire bottle in a few gulps, and then collapsed again on the grass.

"It's not working." Navi murmured as Mido began shivering. She turned to Roland. "We have to get him back to Kokiri Forest. Can you pick him up?"

Roland bent down without another word and pulled Mido's arm around his shoulder, jerking him up like a rage doll. Mido followed with a low moan, and Navi could tell he was in a lot of pain. His leg had begun twitching now, and odd bumps had appeared on his hands that seemed to swell as he inched forward.

"Come on Mido." She whispered into his ear. "Hang in there; we'll get you home…"

They were almost at the forest when the sun went down. Navi was flying slightly ahead so she could lead Roland to the forest, and she could hear his footsteps quicken behind her. Mido whimpered in pain as Roland dragged him along faster, and Roland looked about ready to collapse.

"Navi…" he went a little faster. "How much farther?"

Navi was about to answer when she felt a tingle in the air. A Stalchild popped out of the ground right in front of her, forcing her to a halt. Both she and Roland screamed and backed away, and the Stalchild stared at them with fiery orange eyes. But it didn't move. Both parties locked stares for a minute, and then Roland leaned over to Navi and whispered timidly.

"Navi." He whispered. "Why isn't he moving?"

"I don't know" Navi replied, keeping an eye locked on the monster. But after a moment she realised it wasn't actually looking at her.

It was looking at Mido.

The Stalchild took a step forward, and Navi tensed with fear, ready to run at the first sign of danger. But the Stalchild merely walked past them and continued into the field. She heard Roland let out a sigh of relief, and then he began moving again.

"Let's go." He said, adjusting Mido's arm, "Before another one comes." Navi felt her shoulders drop as she let loose the breath she'd been holding, once again taking her place in the lead. The whole time, she wondered why the Stalchild hadn't attacked. Maybe it had thought it was too easy a target. Maybe it didn't like being so close to the forest. Or, maybe…she turned and looked at Mido, limping pathetically alongside Roland.

Maybe they thought their prey was dead already.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were inside Kokiri Forest. Navi flew straight into the village and sounded the alarm.  
"Help!" she cried, "We need help! Mido's sick!"

Slowly, the small village came to life. Bleary eyed children wandered out of their houses, rubbing sleep out of their eyes.

"What's going on?" one girl asked, yawning sleepily. A fairy poked a head out of her cap and also yawned. At that moment Roland appeared at the entrance, carrying Mido across his shoulders. Both the child's and the fairy's eyes widened in alarm and whispers passed between the other children, questions were asked and eyebrows were raised. Another child stepped forward, greeting Navi with a curious expression.

"Navi?" he asked, scratching his head. She was relieved that someone recognised her, and she recognised him to…it was one of the Know-it-all brothers, know to her as Haro. She frantically began explaining everything to him, not even pausing for breath.

"Mido needs help!" she said quickly. "He was out in Hyrule Field and I found him and he got sick and I don't know what to do…"  
The poor Kokiri held his hand out. "Slow down, Navi! I'll take Mido to his hut and you can tell me what happened then, okay?"

Before she could say another word, Haro had gone over and was taking Mido's other arm. He and Roland both walked towards his hut while Navi was left to follow, ignoring the hushed rumours behind her back. They got Mido inside and onto his bed where he lay still and quiet, chest rising and falling with the sound of his light breathing. Haro's fairy jumped off one of the shelves it had been resting on and jumped around excitedly, cooing and muttering something about 'I told you so…'.

"Looks like you got him here just in time." Haro observed. He produced a small piece of fabric from his tunic and handed it to Roland. "Can you wet this for me?"

Roland nodded and hastily obliged, running outside the door and shutting it softly behind him. As soon as he was gone, Haro turned to Navi.

"Where have you been?" he asked. Navi was slightly taken aback by this question, but Haro wouldn't wait for an answer.

"You've been gone for weeks." He whispered. "We thought you were coming back soon, with Link." He paused, "Where is Link anyway?"

"He's…ill." Navi lied, her brain catching up to her. "I had to leave him in Hyrule. I'm helping Roland find his family."

Haro sighed, and Navi detected a hint of concern and…what was that? Annoyance? Haro looked down at Mido and absently brushed a stray bit of hair off his face.

"We really wanted Link's help, because he's so good with a sword and all. Saria has gone missing." He said quietly, not looking at her. Navi's eyes widened.

"She's _what?_" she shouted. Haro put his hands over his ears, and Mido groaned.

"Don't shout!" he whispered angrily. "I don't want to scare the others. She's only been missing for a day, but Mido noticed she wasn't in the Sacred Forest Meadow. And that's not all…others have gone missing too. Rayme and Tori, the two babies, both disappeared two days ago. Fraye and Sora haven't been seen in a few weeks. We thought they'd gone into Hyrule Field, but Mido wasn't so sure."

"I know what happened to them!"

Navi and Haro both turned towards the door. Roland had returned with the wet rag, and beside him was a blonde Kokiri girl who was grinning at them insanely, like one does when they have a big secret they're just bursting to tell. Alongside her was a bright yellow fairy, and it too was grinning insanely. Navi was glad only she could see it, because it would have driven anyone else insane.

"Not now Fado." Haro snapped, snatching the rag from Roland and patting Mido's forehead with it. Roland looked confusedly between the two, perplexed as to what he had just missed.

"I know what happed to them!" Fado sang happily. "They became Stalchildren! Oh yes they did!"

The fairy bounced around happily "Yes they did! Yes they did!" Roland and Navi both turned towards her, both with equally confused expressions on their faces. Haro scowled. "Don't listen to her. She's been saying that for ages."

"But it's true!" Fado insisted, taking a seat at the end of Mido's bed. "That's what happens when Kokiri leave the forest! That's why Mido was so sick…he was going to become one!" The fairy bounced around again, echoing her companion in a sing song voice. Navi glanced at Roland, who looked rather mystified by the whole thing.

"Well…I suppose it does explain why they didn't attack him." She admitted. Fado squealed happily.

"You got it! And it's all because of Master Stal!"

There it was! That name again! Navi flew up to Fado and took a seat on her shoulder, urging her silently to continue her explanation. The other fairy took a seat next to her and leaned on its palms. Roland crossed his legs on the floor, and even Haro leaned a little closer to hear her story. Fado cleared her throat (a little too dramatically) and began her story.

* * *

"_Long ago, there was a Kokiri girl named Hera. She was beautiful, with long brown hair and deep blue eyes, and she had a friend called Stal. He was also beautiful, and they loved each other very much. They first fell in love as children, and then refused to spend time with anyone else. They stayed together for years and years, but fifty years later Stal woke up to find that Hera had died of old age. He was devastated, and wished he could return to his childhood in order to keep Hera forever. So he made a deal with the goddesses, and they granted him an eternal childhood with his friends. But they also gave him a warning…they could only grant him eternal youth in the Kokiri Forest, and if he left then the years would return to his body. They also taught him the dangers of immortality, but he refused to listen to them. So they granted his wish, and he returned to his childhood and his childhood sweetheart. But she did not remember him, because he was back in the past before they had fallen in love. When he tried to make her love him again, she refused. Stal was so angry that he had been cheated; he left Kokiri Forest, blinded by anger and hatred for the goddesses. Once outside the forest, his skin began to wrinkle and dry out; his flesh began to rot away, until all that was left was a skeleton haunting the field. That's why the Kokiri children never grow up, and that's why when they leave the field they become Stalchildren."_

* * *

"Master Stal has been growing more powerful ever since." Fado continued, obviously enjoying herself. "He blamed the goddesses for what happened to him, and so he decided to learn his own magic. The goddess' spell was only supposed to work on Kokiri children, but he studied the Stalchildren and discovered how to make Stalfos. Now, whenever a stranger enters the Lost Woods, Master Stal finds them and turns them into his slaves." She giggled. "Isn't that an interesting story?"

Haro snorted. "It's all just fairytales. Master Stal isn't real."

Fado rolled her eyes. "Yes he is! Just ask Skull Kid!" her fairy nodded in agreement.

Navi and Roland exchanged glances. Navi was about to ask another question when Mido rolled over and stuck a hand out. Haro jumped backwards in surprise.

"Lilia…" he gasped. "Where's Lilia!"

Just at that moment, a pink fairy came rushing through the door. It stopped beside Mido's bed, and gathered it's breath before hugging his cheek.

"Mido!" it sobbed. "I'm so sorry Mido! I woke up and you weren't there! I thought you'd gone missing! I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay Lilia." Mido apologised. "It was my fault. I should have told you I was going into the field."

The little fairy wailed loudly, and clung tighter to her companion. Navi felt a pang of guilt, and noticed Roland was looking at her suspiciously from the other side of the room. Mido gently pushed Lilia off his face, and she hovered sulkily by his head while he beckoned Navi closer. His pale face made Navi shiver as she wondered what would have happened if they hadn't stumbled across him in the field.

"Navi." He said softly. "Where's Link?"

Navi rubbed her arms, trying to think of an answer. She didn't want to lie to Mido, but she couldn't tell him the truth either. Roland was watching her closely, and she didn't want to admit to him that she'd left her own charge to help him on his quest. She decided to tell him the same thing she told Haro, neither a lie nor the truth.

"He's sick." She answered. "I'm helping Roland find his family. I heard you wanted Link's help?"

Mido grimaced. "Haro told you then? About the missing people?" He tried to sit up, but flinched and slumped back down again.  
"Now I know why we shouldn't go into the field." He joked. "It's not that nice out there anyway."

"Poor Mido." Lilia cooed, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Poor, brave Mido."

Roland made a quiet retching noise in the background, but stopped when Mido and Lilia glared at him. Navi clenched her fists and pursued.  
"What can I do?" she asked. Mido pointed out one of the windows and Navi could see the entrance to the Lost Woods gaping invitingly in the distance.

"See the Skull Kid." He said blankly. "He knows everything that goes on in the forest, but he won't talk to me. If you can find him, then maybe you'll find the others too." He looked at her pleadingly, "You're our only hope, Navi. Please."

Navi took a deep breath. She'd heard those words before, and they sent a shiver down her spine each time. Once again, the forest needed her help. But this time, what could she do? There was no Deku Tree, no Link to protect her, and she couldn't just leave Roland. Thankfully, she didn't have to, because Roland stepped forward gallantly and said three words. Those three words, however unimportant they seemed at the time, would be the beginning of a bond that would not yield between boy and fairy for the rest of time.

"We'll do it."

Everyone turned to him. The hut was silent for a moment, and then Fado grinned and clapped her hands.

"Oh goodie!" she exclaimed; "Now I'll have an even _better_ story to tell. I do hope you don't die though!"

* * *

A note: I wasn't sure of all the Know-It-All brothers names, so I named him Haro cos it sounded cool :D feel free to correct at any time. And for those of you who have no idea who Fado is, she's the little blonde Kokiri who accuses Link of stealing the forest mushrooms when he brings the medicine to the carpenter's son in the Lost Woods (thats the long version anyway).


	5. The Hideout

My apologies for te delay, work experience rendered me unconcious for most of the week and I spent my nights collaborating french words and planning the next dungeon. Enjoy this chapter anyway, I'm off to kill Gold Skulltas :D :muchswordslashing:

* * *

As it turned out, finding the Skull Kid was a lot harder than it seemed.

After appearing back in Kokiri forest for what seemed like the hundredth time, Roland was getting frustrated. He glared over the village for a minute, and the Kokiri children below waved at him. Two even pointed and laughed.

"Navi?" Roland asked quietly, in a voice that Navi almost took as threatening. "I thought you said you knew where we were going."

_I thought I did too, _Navi thought, scratching her head and staring down the log that would take them back into the forest.

"You know," She mused, "There is supposed to be a Sacred Meadow in there somewhere."

Roland began walking back in. "Yeah, well, we need to find this Skull Kid, so I think we need to actually stay in there long enough to get a good look. Maybe if we stay still, he'll come to us?"

Navi shook her head as darkness enveloped them. "No, Skull Kid's too secretive for that. I think if we want to find him, we'll have to tempt him out."

She blinked as sunlight once again touched her face, and looked around the Lost Woods. It looked the same…there were trees, there were rocks, there was grass. So why was she so lost? She looked down at Roland and when she saw his face riddled with annoyance, she felt a pang of guilt.

"Thanks for helping." She said sincerely, "I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't…" she trailed off, unsure what to say next. Roland didn't look up at her, but he grinned anyway.

"Thanks okay." He said, taking a moment to pick a new direction and then head deeper into the forest. "One good deed deserves another. You helped me out, now it's my turn."

He paused, once again faced with three separate directions. He thought about it for a moment, then pointed straight ahead and started walking.

"So…" he asked, almost coyly, "How do you know about this place?"

"I lived here." Navi explained, and then darted off in a completely different direction forcing Roland to whirl around and follow.

"Why did you leave?" he asked, running to catch up with her.  
"I went traveling." Navi replied. When she didn't say anything else, Roland decided to try again.

"Who's Link?"

"Nobody you need to worry about." Navi snapped. Roland seemed to recoil a little, and Navi instantly realized her mistake. "I'm sorry…I just don't want to talk about it" she apologized hastily. Roland didn't answer and she was afraid she'd really hurt his feelings, but then he began whistling and she realized he understood. He was rather smart for such a young child…she watched as he began to walk ahead of her and wondered how he must be feeling, waking up to realize you don't remember yourself. It must be so hard for him…to Navi; her identity was the most important thing in the world. If she lost it, she didn't know what she'd do. As he disappeared through the next log, Navi reflected that Roland was a brave lad; there was no doubt about it.

"Aah! Navi!"

_Well, brave in some ways._ Navi thought as she hovered to the source of Roland's squeal. It sounded like he'd stepped on a bug or something, so she didn't hurry. He was just through the next log…she passed through the darkness and came out on the other side, and then stared ahead blankly into a forest of trees. She'd just come out at a dead end.

Roland was nowhere in sight.

"Roland?" she called out hesitantly, confused at the sudden emptiness. There was a rustle behind her, and she smiled, relieved.

"There you are." She laughed, turning, "Nice joke. But seriously, you…"

Navi gasped. The rustling sound had disappeared, and so had the entrance she'd just flown through. She was staring at another area of dense forest, tightly woven together like cloth. It was considerably darker too, and she looked up at a roof of foliage, vines thrown across thick branches that wove between each other in an impenetrable cage.

She was trapped.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Navi was still trapped.

"Roland!" she shouted for the fiftieth time, trying to squeeze between a couple of trees. She grunted with effort, but there was no leeway…the trees would not budge. She sat down on the grass and lent her head on one fist, too tired to panic any more. So instead she sat and tried to think logically, something she'd was rather good at.

None of this made sense. The Lost Woods was a maze, sure, but the trees didn't _move_. She'd explored this forest thousands of times with Link, and though it took some navigating everything had stayed in the same place, and she'd never found any small dead ends like this. It was weird, not to mention totally impossible.

Navi almost laughed at that. Totally impossible? She had done the impossible ever since the Deku Tree had told her she was going to save the world, and she was kidding herself if she thought it was going to stop now.

_Navi, focus_. She thought to herself sternly. _You've got to get out of here._

She squinted through the trees trying to find a gap, but nothing jumped out at her. It was like something was staring her right in the face…she knew something was wrong, but she just couldn't see it. She thought she heard a faint rustle, so she shut her eyes and listened carefully for the telltale crackling of moving trees…

Suddenly, she realized the forest was quiet. Not just quiet…the song that was usually playing continuously in the background was missing.

She mentally slapped herself. It should have been obvious as soon as she walked into the forest, but she'd been so busy trying to find Skull Kid and help Roland around and worry about Link that she'd missed the most obvious thing possible. The kids who usually played their wooden flutes had completely disappeared from the forest. Perhaps that way why the forest was moving around so much…something had happened to Skull Kid and he was in hiding.

But how to entice him out? Navi needed no further thinking as she pulled out her little ocarina and put it to her lips. Once again, however, she was faced with a dilemma. The ocarina she held only had three notes, and those three notes only played the Sun Song. Except…she took all her fingers off the ocarina and blew.

The first note flew through the forest like an arrow of sound; vibrating around the cage and making the trees shiver as the magic seeped through her fingers. Navi grinned, and began playing. The forest song seemed to get louder as Navi's fingers flew (if clumsily) across the smooth surface.

She stopped playing after three rounds, in need of a good breath. But before she even opened her mouth, the trees around her collapsed.

She yelped and shielded her eyes as the trees around her fell, and the tell tale pricking of magic coursed through her limbs. Then there was a sharp tug, and she felt herself being dragged through the air…

* * *

"It's _mine!_"  
"No! Give it back!"  
"Oh stop your whining. It never belonged to you anyway."

Navi sat up slowly, blinking while her eyes adjusted to the darkness she'd just fallen into. Her natural glow shone like a tiny lantern in the dark, and when she could actually see a few feet in front of her she began to take in where she was.

She seemed to be in an underground cavern, she could tell that much by the soil on the walls, the dirt beneath her and the odd, earthy smell all around. There were a few roots poking out at strange angles from the walls, and at the other end of the room she could see four people. Two of them were dressed in forest clothes and wearing skull masks that made their eyes glow an eerie red. In the middle of them was the Skull Kid, wearing an identical (if slightly bigger) mask and examining a pile of goods on the floor. Above him, two green fairies whispered and giggled over what Navi thought was Roland's flute. And next to them, attached to the wall by a pair of tree roots, was Roland.

"Give it _back!_" he demanded, leaning forward before being tugged back violently by the roots. Skull Kid looked up from his treasures and watched with what Navi imagined was a smirk. He walked up to him and leaned closer until their noses were almost touching, and Navi watched Roland shiver at the mercy of his threatening glare.

"What a baby." Skull Kid spat, his tone malicious. "You stole that flute from us, _Hylian_."

"And now you're stealing all _my_ things!" Roland protested. "Give me my bag, please!"

Skull Kid laughed, and his crones followed suit. Even the fairies began cackling, and the cavern echoed the laughter making it roll around Navi's head painfully.

"You steal from the forest, the forest steals from you." He shrugged, gesturing to the pile on the floor, "Next time I invade _your_ house, you can rob me."

Until this point, Navi had still been rather dumbstruck. But now she took the opportunity to stand up (albeit a tad wobbly) and flap over to the group, trying to get her wings moving in sync.

"Hey!"

Ever alert, Skull Kid and friends jumped and within seconds Navi was face to face with three slingshots. The fairies had begun glowing brighter, a telltale sign they were charging up some magic, but they quickly dissipated when they realized Navi was not a threat.

"Oh look Skull Kid!" on shouted, flying over to Navi and grabbing her arm. "It's a fairy!"

"We love new recruits!" there was a tug on her other arm as the other fairy gripped her tightly. "Let's show her what we do!"

The slingshots were lowered. Skull Kid walked up to her and pushed his face next to hers, the red eyes of the mask uncomfortably like that of a Stalchild. She was sure he was still grinning under the mask, and was proved right when he removed it and she was left staring into the black abyss that was his face and the glowing yellow coals of his eyes.

"Ah. You're the one who played our song." He drawled. "So, you want to join the gang do you?"

Navi frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you mean…"

Skull Kid rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You want to join us but you don't even know what we do? Where have you been all your life?"

"In the tree, Boss." The fairy to her left cackled. "Up in some kid's ear, Boss." The other one chimed in, not wanting to be left behind. Skull kid nodded.

"We can offer you freedom from the Deku Tree. In our home…" he gestured around the cave. "There are no rules, no rulers. You don't have to serve some kid for the rest of your life, attending to their every beck and whim. Maybe you've got a Kokiri friend who wants to join us. Bet they wanna leave the forest, huh? Don't believe that stuff they tell you about dying once you're out there, it's not that hard. All you gotta do…" he paused and took a wooden flute out of his pocket, "Is play the right tune."

Navi's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to join you. I came to get back my companion…and I seek your assistance."

Skull Kid cocked his head and frowned. He waved his hands and the two fairies holding her released their grip, leaving white marks in Navi's skin as they flew up to Skull Kid's shoulders.

"Fancy words for a Kokiri fairy." He said, "If you didn't want to join us, then where'd you get the song?"

Navi pointed to the mask. "You may remember a boy. He came and gave you a mask…?"

Skull Kid's eyes widened. He seemed to think about it for a moment, and then he picked up the mask and put it on once more.

"You're _that_ fairy!" he cried once it was replaced. "I remember you, sure! You and that kid with the ocarina. Guys, you remember the kid…? He was a great musician, that one. Don't know why you dumped him for that petty thief." He thumbed Roland, who grew red with anger behind him.

"That flute is _mine!_" he shouted. "I don't know who you think stole it, but it was given to me!"

"From who?" Skull Kid challenged. Roland didn't answer, and the Skull kid took this as a confession, "Sorry kiddo, you ain't getting your flute back."

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding!" Navi said, "Maybe you gave it to someone…?"

Skull Kid glared at her from behind the mask. "We forest dwellers don't _give_ to strangers. The only way you could have found that flute is if you stole it, because only us kids make flutes like that. Now…" he sat on the floor and crossed his legs. "I may be persuaded to give the boy the flute, if you tell be what assistance you're 'requiring' from me."

He crossed his arms and waited for Navi to speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two kids loading their slingshots. She hated to think of what would happen if Skull Kid wasn't happy with her proposal. She took a deep breath, and she thought she heard Roland take one too.

"I'm here to ask a favor." She began, "I need to find Master Stal. Some of the Kokiri children have gone missing, and they think he might be behind it. We need you to tell us where to find him."

Skull Kid crossed his arms and thought for a moment, then eyed Navi suspiciously.

"The Kokiri have gone missing too, have they?" he asked nonchalantly. "Recently, a few of our people have gone missing too. Just disappeared out of thin air. And I'm sure you noticed the forest hasn't been doing what it should, moving around and all. That's why we're hiding down here…we've been stuck for about a week. As for this Stal guy…never heard of him. We don't associate with strangers."

"But have you seen anything?" Navi asked, exasperated. Skull Kid once again sunk into a thinking state, and when he returned to Earth his face was grim, like a little kid who realized he'd just been caught with his hand in the biscuit jar.

"There _was_ this one fellow." He said slowly. "Remember his guys? The one with the big cloak…?"

"Oh yes! The fairy to his right jumped excitedly. "The big man with the big coat!"  
The second one jumped beside her. "The shimmery cloak of all colors! He was really scary!"

"The scariest!" the first fairy shouted, and they both grabbed each others arms and swirled in a circle. "The biggest, scariest, meanest…"

"He was lost in the woods." Skull Kid explained, signaling for the fairies to stop. They immediately halted and returned to his side, and he continued, "He looked like an ordinary guy wearing a cloak, but these two here say he was a bit more than that."

Navi nodded. "We can see magic."

The fairies puffed their chests out proudly and Skull Kid continued. "Anyway, he said he wanted to make a deal with us. He'll protect us from strangers in the forest if we don't rob him and showed him around a bit. We were suspicious as usual of course, but this guy…he was bad news. We couldn't see it, but we could sure feel it. So we say okay, and he lives up to his end of the bargain. We haven't heard from him since, but we haven't had many strangers here either, so we assumed he'd done his work."

"Where is he?" Roland called from the wall. Skull Kid looked up at Navi in annoyance.

"Is your friend always this rude?" he asked, then turned to Roland. "Like I said Hylian, we haven't heard from him in a while. But I can show you where he might be. There are a few caverns like this around here, and one of them leads into this system of tunnels. We never hang around there, because once we get deep enough we start to feel a bit queasy, you know? It leads outside the forest."

"I thought you said your gang didn't get sick anymore?" Roland asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"You've got some cheek, kid!" Skull Kid snapped. "Yeah, I did say that, but the spell still has a few problems. We can take away the immortality, but whatever curse Hyrule Field's got on it is really strong. We haven't quite managed to get rid of it."

He walked over to Roland and pulled out a knife. Roland flinched and Navi cried out in alarm, but the blow never came; Skull kid cut the roots binding him to the wall and he fell down with a thud.

"Okay, I'll show you where to go. I'll even let your kid keep his stick." He said. "But only if you help us fix whatever's wrong with the forest and get our friends back in one piece. Do we have a deal, fairy?"

Roland rubbed his arms and began retrieving his flute and other bits and pieces off the floor. Navi flew over to him and hovered at his shoulder while Skull Kid eyed them impatiently, the mask's eyes pulsing eerily in the dark of the cavern.

"We have a deal." She repeated, and a sense of impending doom flooded over her. It was one she remembered well, and now it seemed she was never going to forget it.


	6. The First Dungeon

A/n: Pardon me if this chapter is a little skewiff...I have trouble with dungeons. :( I'll try my best though :D

Leave a review if you like it. I hope you do ;)

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did, that root didn't move itself!"

"Quit your whining we're almost there…"

Navi sighed and pushed another stray cobweb from her face. Skull Kid and Roland still weren't getting along, it seemed. They'd been crawling down this tunnel for what seemed like hours, and they hadn't stopped bickering the entire time. Normally Navi was a very peaceful person, but now her patience was beginning to wear thin.  
"You two, stop fighting." She pleaded, rubbing some dirt from her eyes. In the dim light she was shedding, she could see Skull Kid shake his head.

"I'm only doing this for you, fairy." He grumbled, pushing his way down into the dark. "I don't owe this kid any favors."

Roland stopped walking. "Excuse me?" he scoffed, "I _am_ helping you save the forest. The least you could do is show a bit of respect."

Skull Kid snorted. "It's people like you that got us into this in the first place as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, why don't _you_ try going after an all powerful sorcerer?" Roland challenged, beginning his trudge again, "Why don't you fight a bunch of mutant undead children with a flute and a fistful of stones? I'm sure you'll have a blast."

Navi rolled her eyes and made a decision not to open her mouth again for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, that wasn't very long. A few minutes later, Skull Kid signaled for them to stop.

"Ugh." He said, and then he spat on the wall. "I'm starting to get a bit of a headache. Looks like this is as far as I go."

He turned to Navi and waved. "Good luck, little friend. And I suppose I'd better wish your Hylian friend luck too."

He began walking back up the tunnel, then turned around and called out, "Oh yeah, and take this!" out of the dark, something small and white shot at them, Roland catching it expertly in one hand. Navi took a look at it and was alarmed to see it was a necklace made out of oddly shaped bones.

"Stalchild bones!" Skull Kid called out. "They'll protect you from most of the nasties you come across down there." He paused. "Try not to die though…I might actually like you guys."

Skull Kid continued walking, and gradually his footsteps faded away. Roland studied the necklace with mild disgust, and then gingerly placed it on his neck and moved to tie it up.

"He's cheery." He said sarcastically, securing the necklace and then moving it around so that it sat comfortably, "I'm surprised he cared about us at all."

Navi shook her head and flew just ahead of him, lighting the way forward. "He's not that bad. He's just lived in the lost woods for so long, he forgets what being a person is like."

They continued down the tunnel for a little while. The deeper they went, the thicker the roots began to get. It slowed their pace considerably, and eventually they had to stop for a rest. Roland reached into his bag and brought out a small flask of water, which he took a long drink out of and then sat staring at the wall.

"Navi…" he began, cutting through the deathly silence that surrounded them. "Why do fairies all glow different colors?"

Navi came over to his side and beckoned to the flask, and Roland poured her a cap full of water. She took a quick sip them sat down beside him.

"It's all to do with personalities." She explained, drinking carefully so as not to spill a drop, "The color of a fairy depends on what they are like. It's what makes us all individual. Sometimes it changes color with our moods too…when I'm excited I turn a little green, and when I'm scared I turn a little yellow. But we pretty much stay the same color our entire lives."

"What do you look like?" he asked, squinting at her. "I never see, you're so bright."

Navi grinned, flattered. "I look like you." She said, looking down at her own hands. "I mean, I'm a little blue around the edges because of my glow, and I don't have any hair, but I'm just like a smaller Hylian."

"Do you wear clothes?"

Navi laughed, and pinched Roland on the arm playfully. "Of course we do, silly. How would you like flying around in the cold air with no clothes? We make our own too…I was taught to sew when I was a little younger than you."

Roland nodded, satisfied with her answers. They sat and drank in silence for a while, and then Roland decided to ask another question.

"Who's Link?" he asked, then when Navi flinched he hastily added, "I know you didn't want to talk about him, but I thought that that's who you were talking about with Skull Kid, and since we're traveling together…"

"Do you hear that?" Navi interrupted, putting down her capful of water and darting up into the air, each sense instantly coming alert. Roland paused, confused, and then screwed it back onto the flask.

"I don't hear…" he stopped suddenly as slow footsteps echoed down the tunnel. It sounded like someone dragging their feet behind them, and muffled voices eventually reached the companion's ears.

"What do we do?" Roland whispered, "We've got no weapons and we can't run away."

"Just sit." Navi suggested, "And let me hide in your bag. Maybe they'll go away."

Roland opened his bag and Navi shot into it and flipped it shut behind her. Once inside, she waited, hearing only her and Roland's heartbeats, quickening as the unseen enemy got closer.

"Hey!" a deep voice called out, "Who's…?"

Quicker than lighting, Roland opened his bag and flung his hand in. Navi squealed and just managed to avoid it, only to be clipped by the end of his flute as he dragged it out. Inside the bag, she heard the muffled notes of a song being played, and two seconds later a light shone through the holes in the bag and almost blinded her.

"Roland!" She screamed. "What are you doing?!"

Silence answered her. The light gradually faded away, and a second later Roland opened the bag, much to Navi's relief.

"You can come out now." He whispered softly. Navi poked her head out hesitantly and spotted two Stalfos lying on the floor, eyes dim and mouths dislodged slightly from the impact with the ground. She jumped out of the bag and went over to them, careful not to wake them out.

"Out cold." She concluded, waving a hand in front of him. She turned to Roland, a look of astonishment on her face. "What is that? You've played it before."

Roland held up the flute in his hands and shrugged, mirroring Navi's own expression. "I have no idea. It just seemed like the right thing to do." He pursed his lips, concentrating on the memory while Navi kept an eye on the two Stalfos.

"I don't think they'll be out for long." She said after a few moments. "I think we should take their weapons and get out of here."

The two began searching their enemies, both keeping watch on their eyes in case one moved. Roland pulled out a sword from one, and then frowned as he studied it.

"Navi…" he began holding the sword out. "Is this sword odd to you?"

Navi raised an eyebrow, and abandoned the pockets of Stalfos armor she was searching through. "What do you mean?"

"It just looks…weird." He said, fingering the blade lightly. "I might be imagining things, but I think it's familiar…"

Navi took a closer look, and was surprised to find that he was right…it didn't quite look like something a Stalfos would carry around. For one, it was far too light. Stalfos, from what Navi had heard, generally carried great hulking bronze swords that were blunt and heavy for maximum damage. These blades, however, were light as a feather, polished silver and sharper than the tip of an arrow. Roland touched the tip lightly and flinched as a bead of blood came from his finger. There were engravings on the blade's surface that seemed to pulse with a black, shimmery substance, and as soon as Roland began to bleed they spun wildly, as if excited by the sight.

"This is bad." Navi thought aloud, watching the patterns spiral across the sword. Roland looked at her worriedly.

"Why is it bad?" he asked, glancing once again at the sword. Navi looked down at the Stalfos, still out cold, and bit her lip.

"Something is wrong about the Stalfos." She said. "I saw one a few days ago. It had this…magic cloak that made it seem human, and it was looking for something…now they've got new swords. And from the looks of it…" she glanced at the blade and the drop of blood on Roland's finger. "They've been made for one thing only."

"Maybe that's why all those Kokiri have gone missing." Roland suggested, undoing the sword's sheath from the side of the Stalfos and securing it around his own waist. "Maybe Stal is experimenting with them, making them better so he can take over Hyrule."

_A little too late for that._ Navi thought bitterly, remembering why she was there. But she didn't say anything out loud.

"Let's go." Roland gestured down the tunnel. "These two are giving me the creeps, and we don't want to be around when they wake up."

Navi nodded. "I'd better go in your bag. We don't want my glow to give us away."

Roland opened his bag wordlessly and Navi jumped back in, both in silent agreement of what had to be done. Needless to say, Navi wasn't particularly pleased at being shoved in a bag. She was used to the soft confines of Link's Kokiri hat, but she didn't want to go back to old habits with Roland about. She wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Honestly, she hoped she wouldn't have time to be.

There was a long period where neither Navi nor Roland spoke, they just contented themselves with the sound of Roland's footsteps and the pounding of their own hearts as they went deeper into the cave system. Every so often Navi heard Roland curse when he tripped over something, until finally Navi was jolted out of her daydream by a sudden fall.

"KYAH!" Roland cried out loudly as he fell to the ground, a solitary root wrapped around his foot. "Navi, I can't do this anymore! It's too dark!"

Navi flew quickly out of the bag and made sure nobody had heard them, and then placed a finger upon her mouth.

"Be quiet!" she whispered angrily. "They can hear us from miles away in these caves. We'll get caught if we aren't quiet."

"Yeah, well, I need light." Roland said, not even bothering to keep quiet. "There's no point trying to hide from an enemy I can't see. Maybe you should stay out for a while, just so we know what's ahead of us."

Navi sighed. "Fine. But I'm going behind you."

No protest from Roland there. He seemed satisfied that he wouldn't be falling on his face anymore, something Navi had to admit was a little embarrassing for someone who was supposed to be a hero. It was funny in a way…you would think heroes had more pressing things to worry about. Like, for instance, getting killed. Which, as soon as Navi looked down the tunnel they were about to enter, she was painfully aware of.

"Roland." She said quietly, keeping calm. "Don't take another step. And don't scream whatever you do."

Roland raised and eyebrow and peered down in Navi's direction. A sharp gasp escaped his lips, and Navi heard him draw the stolen sword from its sheath.

Just in front of them, the tunnel ended and a massive cavern began, stretching as high as Navi could see. Coming down the middle was a large tree trunk, but when Navi looked closer she noticed it was an expertly crafted tower of rubble. Mis-matched bricks made up the base of the tower, and Navi noticed a Hylian shield, a broken sword hilt and something that must have once looked like a chair making up part of the walls. There was a door leading into it that was sealed with a lock and key, oddly shiny against the rusted building it supported. The tower was surrounded by wooden platforms, and around the edge of the cavern ledges of dirt and tree roots lead to different doors and provided a wide view of the entire room. The walls were an odd shade of dirty green, a direct result of years of water exposure, and the whole thing smelt like rotting leaves. In the midst of it all, Stalchildren of all shapes and sizes limped back and forth, some carrying bits and pieces around, some fixing the tower, and some holding identical silver swords and surveying the scene below and above with an air of authority. They were obviously the sentries, and they were posted everywhere along the room. Thankfully, none of them had spotted Navi and Roland, as they were situated on a very high ledge at the top of the room. A staircase spiraled down towards the ground, but that was the only way off the platform. It was only a matter of time before someone caught sight of them, or maybe found the two sentries Navi and Roland had just rendered unconscious.

"Oh the goddesses…" Roland turned to Navi, eyes wide with fear, "Skull Kid wasn't kidding when he said there were monsters down here."

Navi surveyed the room, feeling rather exposed. Which they were of course. If one person decided to come up the stairs, they would be trapped between a rock and a hard place. There was no quick escape route anywhere…if something went wrong, there was no quick way out.

"How on Earth are we supposed to find Master Stal in all this?" Roland asked, peering down over the ledge. Obviously he'd gotten over his initial fright and was now focusing on the task at hand…it reminded Navi of Link's first excursion to the Deku Tree, when he was too caught up in hero games to realize the seriousness of what he was doing. To tell the truth, it was almost easier that way.

"We've got to distract the guards somehow she muttered, then pointed to the locked door. "My guess is that Master Stal will be somewhere in that tower."

"That cluttered thing?" Roland asked incredulously. "What would a magician be doing in a junk pile like that?"

"Probably protected by magic." Navi guessed. "They don't have much building tools around here except dirt…maybe the just salvaged whatever they could and brought it here to avoid detection."

Roland cocked his head slightly and stared at the tower again. "But from _where?_ Some of that stuff doesn't look like something you'd find any old place. It looks like an entire city went into that."

Navi ignored him, instead watching the sentries as they guarded the doors. She wondered how to get them distracted without attracting any attention to themselves.

"Maybe we could blind them?" Roland suggested as if reading her mind. Navi shook her head.

"They'd know where we are then." She stated, perhaps a tad obviously. "We need to do something subtle, quiet. Something that doesn't…" she heard a noise behind her, and she turned to find Roland aiming a small rock at the tower. He leaned over, presumably to check whether anyone was watching. Before she could make a sign of protest, the rock left his hands and went flying towards the pile.

"Roland!" she hissed madly as the rock sailed through the air, "What in Hyrule are you…"

A sharp crack interrupted her, and she watched in amazement as a section of the tower crumbled away, revealing a denser pile of rubbish underneath. It caused a stir down below as dozens of Stalchildren screeched and shielded themselves from the rubble, and the sentries waiting at the doors instantly rushed over to find out what had caused the damage.

"Go!" Roland darted past Navi and ran down the stairs as quickly as possible, rushing for the nearest door. Navi watched him, impressed at his ingenuity, and then followed swiftly behind him. They reached the wooden door and Roland hastily turned the handle and pushed it in, both companions sneaking in without a sound.

They shut the door behind him, and faced the first dungeon.


	7. Under Hyrule Field

Ooh! The author let slip a Majora's Mask reference today!

That's right, Majora's Mask. Even though I've not yet played it. If I have got it wrong somehow, please don't shoot me...:powpow:

Let's just hope Navi and Roland know how to deal with it :S

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda, Majora's Mask or Ikana Valley. But I do own the super cool labyrinth. Oh yeah, be jealous :P

* * *

Roland and Navi were faced with a long corridor, practically identical to the previous room minus the lines of torches hanging along the wall. The same smell, the same dirty odd colored walls…Navi scrunched up her nose, then looked up and noticed something.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, flying up to the roof. "Look!"

Roland looked up and saw what Navi was so excited about. Above them were what looked like funny brown cones surrounded by long, colorful leaves that seemed to be almost vibrating.

"What is that?" Roland asked. Navi flew right up to the object and poked one of the leaves experimentally. She jumped back and a split second later the leaves shot up and began spinning. Roland watched, mesmerized.

"That's a Peahat." Navi answered, watching the plant with interest. "I've only ever seen these grow in Hyrule Field. Which means…" she scratched at the roof carefully, prodding the earth daintily with her little fingers, "…we're right underneath the surface."

"That's how the Stalchildren appear at night." Roland mused, following Navi's gaze. "They must come up from down here."

"I suppose even Stalchildren need fresh air." Navi continued, and the Peahat slowly began to stop spinning. "It's so weird…when Skull Kid said it was under Hyrule field, I thought it was hundreds of steps, but the whole time it's been right under out noses and we haven't had a clue."

Roland shrugged. "Fairies and Hylians can't see everything. There's probably heaps more that we don't know about the world."

Navi grimaced. "I hope there's not too much more. I've had enough surprises to last me a lifetime."

They walked down the corridor, Roland's grip tightening on his blade the further they went in. The swirling patterns seemed to be beating with his heart, as if aware of his fear and tension. It was unsettling to watch such dark magic at work, seeing a weapon reflect oneself in its design. Grotesque images flooded into her mind of Roland's blood on the blade, the weapon responding with excitement, and wondered exactly who would make such a destructive force.

As Roland and Navi came near a bend in the corridor, they heard the slight tapping of footsteps. Roland grabbed the sword with both hands and peered around the corner.

"There are two." He said to Navi, as if looking for some kind of advice. Navi looked around the corner and nodded…there were two Stalchildren pacing the corridor, disfigured limbs moving them awkwardly in small circles as they guarded whatever treasures lay beyond.

"Stalchildren are easy." She assured Roland. "Just swing and hit. If you don't get them on the first shot, hit again."

"But they're Kokiri children." He muttered, staring at the corpses sadly. "I don't want to kill them."

"You don't" Navi explained, pushing his hand into the sword's hilt. "Magic is hard to kill…monsters just spawn back after a while. It's rather complicated, and easier not to explain it right now."

"That's not very comforting." Roland grumbled, bracing himself. With a small grunt of effort, he jumped around the corner and held the sword above his shoulder.

"HYA!" he shouted, and the two Stalchildren whirled around in surprise. Their eyes glowed brighter as they saw him, but they did not advance. Navi thought she almost saw fear in their hollow eyes but then they advanced, only to be sliced by the blade that was flying towards them.

CRACK! The nearest skeleton's head rolled to the ground, and the body fell to the ground in shards of bone. CRACK! His counterpart gave a short yelp as his hand hit the wall. Roland pushed the blade forward, severing the Stalchild's spine and causing his body to split in two. CRACK! The blade came down a final time, and the two bodies screamed in pain as they were engulfed in a bright red flame. Within seconds they were gone, and Roland was left standing in an empty corridor with a puzzled expression on his face.

Navi flew over to congratulate him, patting him lightly on the back. "Well done Roland! You've done your first battle!"  
Roland looked down at his sword, the patterns running animatedly across his vision. He took a short sigh and then rubbed his forehead.

"That was really weird." He said finally, and then gave a short laugh. "It was so…exciting. But I kept thinking about what they were, and what they were doing, and how they got here…they were alive, and now they're not."

Navi felt incredibly sorry for Roland. She's been fighting these monsters for a while now, but Roland…he'd never held a blade in his entire life, as far as she knew anyway. He'd only just started finding himself, and he was already faced with a world of darkness and evil, one that Navi had already been thrust into and had time to get used to. When she said it like that, it made her feel horrible, because it sounded like she had become cold and heartless towards the world.

"They're not dead." She said, hugged his shoulder comfortingly. "They're just cursed. One day someone might fix them. But unless we stop Master Stal, they'll never be free."

Roland stared at the floor a bit longer, and then pushed Navi off his shoulder.

"Let's go." He muttered, putting the strange sword back in its sheath. "We should keep moving."

They keep following the corridor; Navi hanging back worriedly as Roland soldiered on, going a little bit faster every few feet. She was concerned about him but decided not to read too much into it…he would only be here a few days after all. Then they would find his family and he would go home. At least, that was the plan, and somehow in Navi's world plans meant nothing. You got what destiny gave you, and you were supposed to take it gratefully.

Another corner later and they came across a thick door made of roots and tree bark. Roland hesitated in front of it, and then turned to Navi for help.

"Should we go in?" he asked, tapping the door's surface, "We don't know what's on the other side."

"We won't until we try." Navi reasoned. "I can't feel any big magic, so we shouldn't be in too much danger."

"'Too much' danger?" Roland asked, raising an eyebrow as he reached fro the doorknob. "That makes me feel so much better Navi. Thank you."

"You really have cheek sometimes." Navi joked. The door opened and they both rushed inside, eager to meet whatever foe was on the other side.

The room they entered was very different from the rest of the building. Instead of dirt and dust, the floor and walls were layered with brick upon brick of cold, hard stone. There was nothing in the room to suggest anything sinister was going on, except for a large cell in the corner separated with impenetrable iron mesh. On the left was a door secured with a large metal lock. In the corner of the cell was what looked like a small mass of bones, and Roland visibly shuddered at the sight.

"I hate to think how long they were in there." He said, walking over to the bars and looking in. Navi flew up to the mesh and peeped in.

"Uh, Roland…" she began. "I don't think they're de-"

Suddenly, the bones moved. Roland, ever so jumpy, leapt back and pulled out his sword. The skeleton stood up, and Navi instantly recognized it to be a Stalchild. It turned around to greet them, the tell tale orange eyes brightening as it caught sight of the small fairy and her companion. Navi moved back a little as the Stalchild threw itself on the mesh, clawing at the iron with a strangled cry.

"It's okay." Navi reassured Roland, "It can't hurt us." Roland slowly loosened his grip on his sword, but didn't come forward.

"Why is it locked up?" he asked suddenly. "I mean, why would they lock up one of their own?"

Navi thought for a moment, and was about to answer when the Stalchild gave out a shrill scream. She jumped back in fright, and the Stalchild continued to claw at its prison.

"_Get out!"_ it shouted, _"Get out now! Or he'll come!"_

Navi looked behind her at Roland, who had turned a little pale. She focused on the Stalchild again, and hovered a little closer.

"Who'll come?" she asked, and then thick iron bars dropped on the door behind them.

* * *

"What was that?!" Roland cried, whirling around to the door that had been the only way out. Navi flew up, looking around the room for a lever of some sort that she could use to get them out.

"This is not good." She muttered, searching the room frantically, but then she heard a cry below. She looked down and saw Roland being lifted in the air by a shadowy white figure. It looked like a Poe almost, but instead of the usual scrappy robes it was wearing full body armor, and was wielding a sword that was exactly the same as Roland's down to the black magic that coursed through its blade. It laughed manically as it pulled Roland up, the poor boy struggling in its grip.

"Roland!" Navi cried, swooping down to the monster. It glanced at Navi and laughed again, then grabbed its sword and swung at her, instantly dropping Roland as its attention shifted. Luckily he hadn't been too high, but that didn't stop him hitting the ground hard. He grunted in pain upon impact, and his blade clattered in its cover.

Navi ducked and the flying blade missed her by inches. The ghost didn't seem perturbed by this; in fact it seemed to enjoy it. It laughed once again, and then made another attempt to chop her in half.

"Roland!" Navi cried again. "Try to find a weak spot!"

Roland still looked a bit dazed from the fall, but he managed to stand up and hold his sword, if shakily. The ghost had already gotten bored with Navi, and turned once again to face Roland. The blade came down, and Roland managed to predict its course and duck at the right time.

"What do you mean 'weak spot'?" Roland shouted, parrying a second blow. The sound of metal against metal screeched around the room. "He's a _ghost!_ I don't think he has one!"

In all the shouting, Navi had failed to notice another voice joining the fray. In her panic, she managed to hear one smaller voice calling out to her. The Stalchild was standing by the cell wall, looking up at her like it was pleading with her.

"The neck!" it was crying, bringing its finger across its throat. "The neck! No armor!"

Navi blinked. She stared at the ghost for a minute, and then she spotted it; a gap in the armor right between the head and the neck.

"Aim for its neck!" she cried, flying down to Roland. "There's a hole in the armor there, aim for the…"

Something very large hit Navi, sending her spinning wildly across the room. She hit the wall and heard a small crack as her left wing crumpled beneath her. She bit her lip to stop her screaming, but it was so painful she whimpered. She tried to fly off the wall, but only managed to glide downwards as her other wing tried to heal itself.

"Navi!" Roland had turned to check her, and the ghost took full advantage of his distraction. It pushed the blade forwards, but Roland saw it out of the corner of his eye and managed to swing around, but the blade still caught him across the right arm. Tears welled up in his eyes but he didn't cry out, even when it started to bleed through his tunic, turning the green-blue to a dirty brown. He jumped out of the way of the next blow, and then thrust upwards with his own blade. Unfortunately, he was used to fighting with both hands, and he couldn't quite get the blade up high enough. It hit the armor on his chest, making a slight clanging sound as it did.

The ghost looked rather amused by Roland's attempt. He touched where the sword had hit him, and then laughed. He floated down, and then aimed at Roland's other arm. Roland ducked, and then as soon as the sword passed him he jumped up and pushed the sword towards his foe's neck.

"KYAH!" he shouted, and by chance he distracted the spirit. The sword nicked his neck, and the ghost grimaced as the fine blade made a cut in his neck. It seemed to collapse, clutching its wound in pain. Through its fingers, Navi could see a strange green blood oozing from the cut, and she got up off the floor and flopped uselessly over to Roland.

"Swing and hit!" she shouted. "Get him now!"

Roland needed no further encouragement, and he brought the blade down across the ghost's neck. As soon as the blade touched it, the ghost made a quiet choking noise, a last attempt at a scream. Then it was gone, disappearing in a puff of blue smoke. Its frenzied cackling hung in the air for a moment, and then dissipated like a breath on the wind. The only thing that remained behind was a silver key, gleaming like a sparkling jewel against the dreary grey stone.

Roland bent down to pick it up, but flinched and clutched his arm. It was rather obvious that he was in pain, and Navi made another attempt to fly over to him.

"Are you okay?" Roland asked, bending down lower to cup her in his hand. "What happened?"

"I'm okay." Navi answered, lying down in Roland's palm. "My wing will fix itself. I think we should worry about your arm."

Roland reached into his bag with his good arm and rummaged around in it for a second or two, then pulled out a healing potion. He unbottled it and drank deeply.

"Don't drink too much!" Navi warned. "Those are our only bottles."

Roland instantly stopped drinking, and hastily bottled it.

"Sorry." He murmured, replacing the bottle. "I'm still a bit new to all this."

Now that Roland was taken care of, Navi turned t the Stalchild. It was staring at them expectantly, awkwardly large hands hanging by its side. Navi looked from the key in Roland's hand to the locked door, and then back to the Stalchild.

"What was that?" she asked cautiously. She had long been aware that things were not always what they seemed, and as a general rule she only trusted people that were actually alive. The Stalchild pushed his hands against the wall and sighed, as if it knew what she was thinking.

"Commander Hath." He said, sitting down. "One of the Eight Commanders of the Ikana army, originating from the valley of Ikana."

"Ikana? There's no valley by that name."

"Yes there is. It's located outside Hyrule, in a place called Termina."

"But there is no 'outside of Hyrule'!" Navi protested. The Stalchild shook its head.

"Outside of Hyrule means many different things." It stated simply. "You can't believe Hyrule is the only world that exists. In truth, Hyrule is just one plane. When the Goddesses made the world, they created more than one Hyrule, and they are all interlocked somehow in space and time. Termina is just one of these."

Roland, who was sitting and waiting for his arm to heal, leaned closer.

"So, if there is this…other Hyrule…" he began, still trying to process the information. "Then what are these Commanders doing here? Are they working for Master Stal?"

The Stalchild pointed to the door. "Promise to get me out of here, and I will tell you everything."

Navi and Roland looked at each other, and then Roland nodded. The Stalchild sat back, satisfied.

"I will tell you a story." It said, "You may not trust me, but listen well. It may save your life while you are in this labyrinth. It all began with a war…


	8. The Price of War

So, I havn't updated in forever...but believe me being in Europe is a little bit of an obstacle when it comes to writing :P

Good news, I got a few chaps done and will post them in probably 2 weeks (cos by then I'll be home yay!) and so enjoy the little snippit I managed to post today and hopefully we'll all be able to get moving again!

Oh yeah, Happy new Year! 2009 is going to be great, I can tell! Now, enjoy!

* * *

_At the beginning of time, the three Goddesses Nayru, Farore and Din created life. What they did not expect was to create more life than the world needed…while their breath chased away the Emptiness that was the beginning of time; they also slipped through cracks in time and space, creating millions of other worlds parallel to Hyrule. One of these is Termina._

_In the beginning, Termina was just one place, one city in which everyone lived peacefully. But nobody seemed to know what to do with themselves. They decided to elect a hierarchy that would tell them what needed to be done and how to do it, and they would then expand throughout Termina. Three candidates were chosen, but nobody could decide who to pick. Many arguments ensued, and by the end of the great winter the entire town had split into three groups, each lead by their own elected leader. Two groups left the city to expand, and the last stayed. Termina became divided into three territories: Clock Town ruled by Mayor Dotour the First, Ikana Valley ruled by King Igos du Ikana and Aronia ruled by Emperor Ora._

_Exploration was still a new concept to Termina, and the Ikanians and Aronians soon found out they were not the only race in Termina. The Zoras, the Deku Scrubs and the Gorons all laid claim to their own land, and as they didn't want to start a war between species the Ikanians and Aronians settled in their own unclaimed territories, Aronia in the North and Ikana in the East. Clock Town only occupied a small space, and had no wish to expand, so they all stayed where they were._

_A few years later, the Aronians became frustrated. The land they had occupied was claimed by ice and snow, and the chilly air meant hardly any crops would grow on their land. They decided to invade Ikana and take over their agriculture, and at the same time Ikana realized that the land it occupied was extremely small. They wanted to expand into the mountains, and so both cities secretly began to wage war. It was officially declared three years later when the leader of Aronia was killed by an Ikana assassin. Ikana and Aronia raged a ten year war which ravaged the land between them. Many innocent lives were lost, and families were broken apart as the conscriptions became more and more frequent. Eventually, everyone in each city had joined the army and was fighting for their land._

_Towards the end of the war, something happened which nobody could have anticipated. I was a young man then…I had only just joined the battle between our lands. In the final days, I was injured in the course of battle and had to seek assistance…_

* * *

The Ikana sky was laced with blood.

Commander Yasr and Commander Hath were missing, and Commander Ashrai was organizing troops at their underground camp on the north side of the field. The remaining commander, Gaor, was ordering his own section and had not been heard from since the early afternoon. None of this was any help to Koti.

He clutched his bleeding hand and cursed once again at his carelessness. He wished he'd been smart enough to look over his shoulder instead of admiring his swordsmanship. So he'd just killed one of the few remaining warriors in the Aronian army…none of it mattered if he was foolish enough to let his guard down.

He had been a fool, and had paid the price. Now he had to find the Commanders and pray that they wouldn't punish him for his stupidity. War did not tolerate mistakes…most people who made them never lived to learn from them.

Koti trudged along the valley, staring ahead. If he didn't, he would be drawn in by all the bodies that littered the ground. Some were in the Aronia uniform, stark red armor that was supposedly made deep in the Goron Mines, their golden swords stained with his people's blood. The others spouted the silver-blue armor and the seal of the Ikana sixth division, the Ikana war tattoos on their blades twirling ferociously at the sight of so much blood and chaos. Some were just civilians, caught in crossfire. Millions of lives, blotted out in an instant by a man carrying a sword. Sometimes, Koti wondered whether it was worth it. His first priority, however, was to survive.

He'd only been fighting for five weeks, but already he felt like he'd been fighting for years. It had seemed his training had only just finished when the alert was first sounded: Aronia had penetrated the Southern boarder and were now pouring into Ikana, destroying everything in their wake. Then the Northern boarder fell, and then the West Gate…they had Ikana surrounded, and in the space of a week had shut down three major weapons factories. Until then, both sides had been evenly matched in both men and might, but now…

Ikana was loosing.

Koti trudged on, ignoring the bodies he stepped over and trying not to think about the state of the war. If he let himself go down, he knew he would never get up again. In the middle of a war, it was easy to give up to temptation and leave, but he continued on like the gallant soldier he was, fuelled only by willpower and the faint hope that they could still win this war. He just had to find Ashrai, heal his hand and then reclaim his blade. If they didn't win…at least they would have died with honor, fighting until their last breath.

After what seemed like a long and strenuous journey, he made it to the northern side of the field.

When the entrance to the camp was in sight, he was practically in tears. A large bush in the middle of his vision concealed a small hole, covered with twigs that littered the field. It looked like a natural rubbish pile, and unless he was really looking he would have walked right past it. His hand was throbbing painfully, and he suspected that if he had arrived any later his hand would have been beyond any healing potion. He leaned down and picked up the branches covering the hole, then lowered himself down carefully and replaced the debris. He walked down a small, dark tunnel, not bothering to feel for the markers that they had placed to lead their army in the right direction. The cave complex they'd built was sophisticated, ingenious, but terribly hard to navigate if one did not know the way. When they'd finally colonized the place, it looked like an entire city trapped in a labyrinth.

Despite the elaborate tunnels and seemingly advanced culture, Ikana still hadn't grasped the term 'comfortable living quarters'. When the tunnel had ended, Koti found himself staring into a massive cavern with several crude tents laid out in rows. Around the cavern were staircases and ledges with large holes each leading to separate parts of the system and each crammed with more tents and various necessities. In one tunnel there were tents, in another there were holding cells reinforced with stone. There were so many buildings Koti could barely keep track.

He instantly reached for his sword, and then flinched as his hand throbbed again. This time, he carefully moved his left hand to his sheath and drew the blade as silently as possible. He knew that if somewhere was quiet, it probably wasn't a good sign, and the camp that was usually teeming with people had been totally emptied.

He crawled silently through the camp, eyes and ears open for any sign of life. Each tent seemed to have been abandoned, and there wasn't even a sign of a struggle. It was like they'd just disappeared. Not one drop of blood tainted the ground, not even a footprint.

Suddenly, the wind carried a whisper to his ears. He stopped and listened, and sure enough he heard voices inside a ten to his left. It was Commander Ashrai's tent…a big, green sheet of fabric held up by only a pole and a peg on each side. You could tell it was the Commander's because it was the best tent in the row…the rest were tattered and held up by only a stake dug into the ground. It just went to show how much the war had taken as far as commodities…Koti hadn't had a shower in days, let alone a warm bed.

He sneaked up to the tent's door (another large fabric cover) and peeped through a crack in the material. The shapes were foggy, but the voices were clear as day. They were just in the middle of a conversation, and Koti was shocked to hear Commander Hath speaking.

"…just a few days." Hath finished, and Koti heard the shuffling of someone pacing. "At this rate, the Aronian army will invade Ikana valley in less that a month."

"I see." Came a gravelly voice that Koti didn't recognize. "It seems you find yourselves in a bit of trouble."

Yasr was next to speak, once again surprising the swordsman. Two missing commanders appearing at the same time? A little strange…

"You say you can help us, Master Stal." Yasr said suspiciously. "And yet you still won't tell us how. What is it you plan on doing?"

The voice, Koti assumed it was Master Stal, sighed. "You are very impatient, Commander. Where I come from, there is a particular spell that I have used to make me immortal, and I have recently been able to transfer it onto others. I have engineered my own personal army, and if you agree to my deal I can make yours immortal too."

There was a brief space of silence, and then Koti heard Commander Ashrai's voice.

"Do tell us more." He said eagerly. Master Stal laughed.

"I will make your army immortal…" he said. "…in exchange for a portion of your troops, and some of your so called 'technology'. It is most interesting, and unlike anything I have ever seen in Hyrule..."

"That's a high price." Commander Hath interrupted. "How will we know you are all that you seem?"

"I have already given you a demonstration." Master Stal continued. "Your camp was invaded, was it not? I got rid of the Aronia warriors, did I not?"

"But you could easily do such a thing to us." Yasr insisted. "How do we know we're getting the fair end of the bargain?"  
Master Stal sighed again, but this time it had an air of finality to it. "I am offering the chance of a lifetime, gentlemen…many lifetimes, in fact. I will give you _infinite_ life. You have seen what your armies will become, but I can promise you will receive a much greater form than that of my children. All I ask in return is some soldiers and a petty sword or two."

There was much mumbling in the tent, and then shuffling.

"I'm in." Commander Gaor said, his determination laced with apprehension. There was another period of silence, and then the other Commanders mumbled their agreement.

"Good."

At that moment, Koti felt it was time to leave. There was a chill in the air; the thrill of anticipation coupled with a sense of impending doom. He turned away, and at that very moment he felt a sharp, burning pain all over his body, unlike any pain he had ever felt before. He screamed, and there was much moving inside the tent as the others rushed outside to locate the source of the noise. When they found Koti writhing with agony on the ground, Master Stal pointed and laughed.

"See what I have made them." He jeered. Koti caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes hidden beneath his dense black coat, and then his skin caught fire and every single cell in his body shattered into a million pieces, worming it's way through his blood and eating away at his soul…

By morning, Koti and a thousand other Ikana warriors were dead, or so it seemed. And there were many more to come.

So many more…

* * *

"Ikana was cursed." Koti explained once he'd finished his story. "The curse spread all across the Valley. Even the King became one of the Master's followers. Aronia was razed to the ground, all it's people slaughtered and all its history in ruins. Once the Master had completed his end of the bargain, he transported all of us here and made us build his castle. The tower you must have passed was once our city. The swords that the sentries carry are of our design. This entire dungeon was made with Ikana hands."

"Hold on…" Navi interrupted. "These are _your_ tunnels?"

Koti nodded. "They have been rebuilt since, but yes. This is our old hideaway. As it turns out, your Lost Woods is a direct link to Termina, one of the cracks that life slipped through. We tunneled right through it accidentally. Right now, you are under Hyrule field, but the further you go the further you travel into Termina."

Roland stood pondering for a moment. "If I had access to two different lands, I wouldn't spend all my time in one, building an underground tower. Why is Master Sta making you do this?"

"This place, the tunnels between worlds...Master Stal did not transport us here by coincidence. The tower we are building houses something of great value to the Master. We are not sure what...he uses only his most loyal Stalfos to maintain and guard the top of the tower...but we suspect it has something to do with the magic that built these two realms. I believe the cracks in time and space that the Goddesses magic fell through all those year ago may be what Master Stal is searching for. I do not know his purpose for it."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Roland asked, leaning on his elbow and gazing at the Stalchild with mild curiosity, "What's in it for you?"

Koti seemed to ponder on this for a while, and then moved closer to the bars.

"While the curse had taken many an innocent man's soul." He muttered, glancing at the door nervously. "It has not touched mine. The others out there have been stripped of their will, but there are still some of us out there that kept our minds intact."

Navi looked into his eyes, and saw they were shining with much more than dark magic. They pleaded to her, and Roland seemed to have noticed the same thing. He crossed his arms and glanced at Navi questioningly, wondering if she was thinking the same.  
"You see?" Koti implored, glancing between them. "You know I'm not like the others! We are all part of a secret rebellion that we have been forging over generations, preparing for the day when we can finally rise up against Master Stal and be rid of the curse. Some of you're 'Kokiri' have joined us, and we even have a small number of Stalfos at our side. A few days ago, Master Stal brought a group of prisoners to his laboratory, and we were caught trying to let them go. Only a handful of us were captured, and we were each put in cells guarded by our Commanders. If you can free us we will aid you in a battle against the Master."

Roland and Navi were apprehensive at best. Navi knew that Stalchildren could not be trusted, and yet here was the perfect opportunity to defeat Master Stal. With not only a rebellion but a whole other world on their side, they could banish the curse on Kokiri forest forever. They could save their friends, and revert everyone else back to normal. It was an alliance that, right now with no weapons, little supplies and even less knowledge of the situation, they couldn't afford to lose. Roland stood up and put the shiny key in the lock that covered the cell door, and there was a sharp click as the chains undid themselves and the door opened, releasing the Stalchild out into the stone floor. He hesitated, and then walked out of his cage with the air of a man who has been trapped for far too long.

"Thank you, my friends." He bowed gratefully, and Roland found it respectful to bow in return, "I must leave you now, and prepare the others for the uprising."

He stood up straight (or, as straight as one can be when their back is deformed) and studied Roland's necklace.

"I see you have a protective charm." He scoffed. "That may protect you for a short time, as we won't touch it, but in the heat of battle it will offer you no protecting from the swing of an Ikana blade." His eyes were drawn away by Roland's flute, which was protruding from the lip of his bag. "I see you have an instrument. I can teach you a song that will aid you in danger…it is a secret melody we use to communicate between members of the rebellion. If you come into danger, or perhaps need information, we will assist you."

Koti grabbed the flute, and before Roland could protest he had began playing. A sharp melody filled the room, a song that spoke of terror and battle. But it also spoke of a hope; hope of being free was tyranny and death. When Koti returned the flute, Roland clutched it tightly to his chest and swallowed, the words lost on his tongue. Navi couldn't imagine the pain and suffering that the Stalchildren had gone though, but from a simple song she caught a glimpse into his world. Koti nodded at them, and then rushed to the door.

"Oh, one more thing" Koti turn back to them.

Flinging it open, he dived down into the dirt and seemed to just disappear, melting into the Earth like the very soil itself. Navi and Roland were left, clutching the flute and wondering.

Roland was first to speak. "Well…what do we do?"

Navi stared at the spot where Koti had once been, and then shrugged.

"They can help us." She replied simply. "And, at the moment, we could really use some help."

Roland reached for the door. "Right. We'll trust them for now, but I really don't feel comfortable getting advice from the same things that tried to kill us."

_You and me both._ Navi thought sullenly as he closed the door behind him, shutting it with a resonating thud.


	9. Improvement

Bonjour tout le monde! Ca va?

Yep, I'm back! and I've just finished a couple more chapters ;) Let's see if I can't get this thing moving again.

Good to be home, i missed youse :D Enjoy chapter 9!

* * *

The corridor ended abruptly after Roland and Navi left the room, as they were barred by another door in an apparent dead end. Roland was hesitant to open the door (after the last surprise, how could you blame him) but Navi quietly urged him on by nudging his shoulder.

"Come on." She encouraged, tapping the doorknob. "We've got to keep moving." Roland sighed, but he still obliged and pulled open the door. They were instantly greeted with a blast of warm air, tainted with a faint smell that Navi couldn't quite place.

"Is that…blood?" Roland asked, turning paler by the second as he peered in the room. Navi peeked inside and her eyes widened as she surveyed the area.

It looked like basic bedroom quarters, with at least eleven small and uncomfortable looking beds crammed into the room. On the left was another door, and on the walls of the room a few boxes were stacked neatly on top of each other. In the right corner, however, a small table that was covered in a red substance that Navi firmly suspected, judging by the smell of the room, was indeed blood.

"It's okay." She tried to reassure him, not quite believing the words herself. "We just have to…"

Suddenly, there was a click as the door was pushed open. Navi and Roland reacted instantly, Roland quickly scanning the room for a hiding place and Navi darting into his bag. Out of desperation, Roland dived under a bed and tucked himself into the shadow, and a second later the door had fully opened and two Stalchildren entered, sighing as they shut the door behind them.

"Master Stal is not pleased." One murmured as he walked across the room. Navi tensed in fear as she peeped out the flap of the bag, watching a pair of stark, bony feet walk past the bed. Another pair joined them.

"It is our fault." The other Stalchild began, moving across the bed and causing the dust to stir gently below. "We could not deliver the staff to him. He is right to be moved."

The first Stalchild grumbled, and then retreated back to the other side of the room and ruffled the sheets of a nearby bed. Each step past the bed made Roland tense until Navi thought his teeth were going to crack; he was chattering them so much.

"Calm down Roland!" she whispered hastily.

"What are we going to do?" he whispered back. "We can't get out, but we can't stay here!"

"We wait." Navi answered, sinking back into the bag. "We'll get a chance."

There was some more rustling from above, and then the Stalchildren both walked over to separate beds and sat on the edges, hesitant to rest but obviously relieved to have a moment's peace.

"Our brothers returned yesterday." The one nearest to Roland broke the silence. The other one nodded absently, and clacked his bony fingers against the hard wooden frame of the bed.

"Is the Temple of Time still standing?" The other sniggered. Navi's ears pricked up and she quickly pressed herself to the side of the fabric.

"The sacred temple stands." The other Stalchild cackled manically. "Master Stal is pleased. Master Tyron will have his orb, and Master Ganondorf will reward us."

Navi frowned. The orb? What orb? Roland seemed to have a similar curiosity, as he dared to peek out from under the edge of the bed.

"The orb?" he asked, coming across rather excited despite being on the brink of panic. "What's the orb? Does it have something to do with the Ikana warriors?"

"I have no idea." Navi confessed, and then hissed frantically at him to slide back as the door to the room opened once again. A loud, brass voice boomed at them from the doorway.

"Another collapse in the Eastern Caverns!" whoever it was shouted, its loud voice booming across the room. "What are you two doing out of the tunnels?"

There was a scratching sound and much scrambling as the two Stalchildren jumped off their beds and stood, bowed, before whom Navi assumed was one of the guards.

"We are sorry!" one of them pleaded, "We came to deliver more swords to the Master…"

"We were only taking a short rest…" the other insisted. While they were making their excuses, Navi and Roland dared another glance from the bottom of the bed.

The Stalfos before them was unlike any Stalfos Navi had ever seen. The usual characteristics-a swollen head, deformed limbs, large teeth and a hump in the back-were gone. The only thing that seemed to remain was the skeletal appearance, the stark white bones showing from under armored plates. But this skeleton…he was taller than a regular Stalfos, and his bones seemed a little tougher, denser than its predecessors. Its head was regular sized, but instead of teeth it had what appeared to be a forest of white needles, sharp and above all, inhuman. It carried itself with an air of superiority. Even it's armor was different…it was of dark, black steel that seemed to swallow the light around it instead of reflecting, and beside that was an Ikana blade, sharp and lethal.

"No." Roland said as the Stalfos hit the two Stalchildren on their heads and began to usher them out of the room. "No. That's not a Stalfos. It can't be…could it?"

"Its not one I've ever seen before." Navi muttered as the Stalfos closed the door behind them, cursing at the Stalchildren as they left. They waited a few moments, and then Roland cautiously inched out from under the bed and stood up, dusting himself off and stretching. Navi flopped out of the bag and hovered in a slight daze as she tried to get back her bearings and shake the dust off her wings.

"We'd better get out of here." She cautioned. "Someone else might come."

Roland hastily headed towards the door at the end of the room, keeping one eye on the other door in case the creepy Stalfos returned. He opened the door slowly, peeked in the room beyond and nodded to Navi to signify that it was empty. Both companions slipped inside and Roland quietly shut the door behind them.

The next room was like a tiny cave, not much unlike the rest of the place. This room, however, was filled from top to bottom with wooden box on wooden box, and piled in such a way that it was almost like a maze. Some had labels covered with a scrawl Navi couldn't identify, and those that didn't were either half opened or covered in what seemed to be yellow moss. It was a strange thing to have on a box, but Navi had seen stranger.

"Gee, what do you think is in here?" Roland asked, looking at one of the boxes. A second later, another voice shouted from the other side of the room.

"Hey!" the gruff voice called. "Who is that?"

Navi's wings drooped. "Something important." She said. "I think we should hide."

The was, unfortunately, no time for that…a few seconds later a Stalfos poked its head around one of the boxes and caught sight of the boy and fairy. He drew his sword, and the silver Ikana blade danced with anticipation.

"Intru-" The Stalfos began, until it was rudely interrupted by Roland drawing his own sword and plunging it through the armor with lightning speed. The Stalfos was caught by surprise, which gave Roland a brief window of opportunity, enough for him to tug the blade up through his enemy's ribcage and shatter the spine. The Stalfos collapsed in a pile of bones when Navi caught sight of his companion standing on top of a pile of boxes, bending his knees.

"Watch out!" Navi cried, flying over. "He's going to jump!"

She was barely halfway through the sentence before, true to her word, the Stalfos jumped and gave a battle cry as it hurtled towards Roland, sword raised. Roland whirled around and thrust the sword upwards, and it pierced the Stalfos' neck bone. The head rolled off the body, which toppled to the side. The head began to roll toward the body in an attempt to reconnect, only to be intercepted by Roland as he calmly strolled over and picked it up, and then held it in his left hand while using the other to hold the body at blade point.

"Let me go!" The head demanded, spitting madly at the boy as it tried to wriggle from his grasp. "Relinquish your grip, foolish child!"

"I don't think so." Roland said calmly, and he moved the sword closer to the body. Both head and torso stiffened by the sight of the blade. "Now," Roland began again, holding the head up and peering into its glowing eyes, "where do you keep your prisoners?"

The skull stayed silent. Roland quickly thrust the sword downwards and the skull screamed as a rib clattered to the floor.

"Next time, it will be your spine." Roland threatened, pushing the blade a little further. "I'll ask again, where do you keep your prisoners?"

The skull instantly began babbling fearfully. "The second floor! The door on the left, that's were we keep some of them! There's also a small cell on the floor below us! The others are sent up the tower to Master Stal!"

Roland nodded. "What about the Kokiri children? Where do you keep them?"

"There are in the tower too!" The Stalfos said. There was a brief pause, and then Roland dropped the head and slowly began lowering the sword. In a split second the Stalfos grabbed the blade between its hands.

"Stupid Hylian!" The head spat from his feet. "Master Stal will-"

In one swift movement, Roland jumped and landed on the skull with a load crack. The Stalfos gave a grunt of surprise, and then its body dissolved into the floor in a spray of fire. There was silence for a moment, and then Navi turned to Roland with wide eyes.

"How did you do that?" she said, "A few minutes ago you were scared to fight a Stalchild."

Roland didn't seem to be listening. He blinked at the sword in his hands, then at the space the Stalfos had been. He shook his head and stared down at his hands once more.

"Maybe I'm getting used to it." He said feebly. Navi gave him a sympathetic smile.

_You sound just like Link._ She thought suddenly, the idea catching her by surprise. She instantly pushed it away, sick to the mouth to even think of his name.

"Navi!" Roland whispered, and Navi snapped out of her daze. She quickly buzzed over to Roland, who was carefully taking apart one of the boxes.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Roland grunted in response, and then pulled away at a plank of wood. It came out with a sharp crack and much splintering, but it left a sufficient hole to see what was inside. Roland peeked in, nodded, and then drew out a felt package and a small hessian bag that seemed to be full of small pebbles.

"Look what I found!" he whispered excitedly, his calm demeanor being replaced with the childish excitement that Navi remembered. She studied the objects and wrinkled her nose.

"Are you sure they're safe?" she asked tentatively as he put down the ball and began unwrapping the felt parcel with the upmost care. The fabric fell to the floor, and Roland held up his prize triumphantly. It was a small slingshot, made of a tight rubber strap bound neatly to a y-shaped stick. Navi gaped at the weapon, then flew closer to it and examined the seal between to wood and rubber.

"This is a Kokiri slingshot!" she cried, tugging a little at the rubber. "Maybe this was what they confiscated off the children when they were captured. That bag must be full of Deku Seeds."

Roland pulled the rubber strap and pointed it at a box, then pulled it and grinned as it snapped out of his fingers. "This'll come in handy." He said, pocketing it along with the bag. "Let's look around a bit more."

Navi and Roland explored the small storage room, and Navi found more boxes covered in the strange moss. At the other end of the room they found another door, and after a quick peek they found that they had come a floor lower and were now resting five floors from the bottom. Thankfully, there were no sentries around the door, but there was still plenty of activity around the tower. Roland pulled out the slingshot and reached into the bag, pulling out a Deku seed to match.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Navi asked as he pulled the slingshot back. "I think they'll be suspicious after the first time."

"Not much else we can do." Roland said bluntly, and before Navi could protest he fired the seed. Navi frowned. While she admired the child's bravery, his changing attitude was already beginning to get annoying.

"You realize this isn't a game, right?" she asked as the seed hit the tower, dislodging a shield and causing a Stalchild below to run around in a panicked circle trying to catch it. "You can't just shoot something and hope for the best."

Roland didn't seem to notice her; instead he waved his hand and gestured downwards, then darted off along the pathway to the next door. Navi sighed, and then followed closely behind. Once again, they shut the door behind them and faced the room.

True to the Stalfos' word, they had entered another chamber. This one was exactly the same as the one they'd discovered Koti inside…the dull stone walls, the stale air creeping into their lungs, and the prison that sat in the corner housing two Stalchildren, both of whom were staring at the two in amazement. Their jaws had dropped (one quite literally clattered to the ground, and the Stalchild had to scrabble for it rather hurriedly) but their surprise was quickly stifled by a cackle of laughter that seemed to have no particular origin. Bars descended on the door behind them. Roland looked up, and Navi saw the fear returning to his eyes.

"Here we go again." he said bravely, drawing out his sword. And then something exploded through the floor under his feet, and he was thrown into the air as the second commander of the Ikana fleet rose in front of them.


	10. Hunger

Roland came down with a crash, and the sword clattered dangerously close to him, its whirling tattoos threatening to slice his arm off. The ethereal presence that had thrown him around floated up through the floor and formed into a solid shape…a stout but muscular man sprouting a hideous curled moustache and dressed to his chin in plates of gold armor. He wielded the same blade as Roland, except instead of black they were pulsing with what looked like molten gold.

"Commander Gaor" Navi heard one of the Stalchildren whisper. The glossy surfaces nearly blinded her, and at the same time she was trying to think of ways of assisting Roland.

"Come on!" she shouted at him as he tried to right himself. "Use a healing potion! Just get up!"

As Roland pressed himself up, cradling his head in his hands, there was another cackle from above. Commander Gaor looked up, and his face broke into a grin.

"I hope you are prepared, child!" He cried out in a booming voice that shattered through their bodies. Another laugh sounded, but this one was different…crackly, and rather than booming it was soft, deep and malicious.

Roland pushed himself off the floor and groaned. "That's not fair!" he wailed helplessly as a second ghost joined them.

This commander was the exact opposite of his partner. He was tall, thin and void of any facial hair whatsoever. He wore flowing, dark red robes, and his Ikana sword was curled slightly all the way to the tip to create an arch like shape. A slight gap in the robes on his chest revealed the glint of silver armor. His eyes were deep set into his face, and it was with these that he stared at the two newcomers, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Commander Ashrai!" Commander Gaor boomed, turning to his companion. "There appears to be two intruders in our midst! Whatever shall we do with them?"

Commander Ashrai grinned now, and licked his lips in a way that made Navi recoil in disgust.

"Intruders?" he said, voice like that of a snake. "I think Master Stal would like to meet these two. Let's have a little fun of our own first, shall we?"

Roland backed away slowly, and drew out the Ikana sword. The two ghosts glanced at each other, exchanging glances of both surprise and amusement, and then Goar disappeared.

"Oh no…" Navi muttered as Roland whirled around wildly, surprised to find his adversary had vanished. A split second later, Commander Ashrai had vanished also, leaving only an echoing laughter behind him.

Roland gulped. "Navi…?" he pleaded, turning to her with wide eyes. Navi could only stare helplessly back. Suddenly, she saw a faint outline appearing behind him, and before she could shout out a warning Commander Gaor struck out with his spectral sword and knocked Roland off his feet.

"Roland!" Navi cried, flying to his aid. Before she could get close, he let out a scream and clutched his chest.

"He cut me!" he cried, clutching his chest. "It hurts! Navi, it hurts!"

Navi tried to get a look at the wound, but she couldn't see any blood. Goar gave a quiet chuckle and disappeared behind them.

"There isn't any wound!" Navi assured him. "He didn't cut you!"

Before she could say anything more, there was a whooshing noise and something appeared beside Roland's feet. Commander Ashrai's head pushed through the floor and in a split second he swung his sword around and sliced at Roland's leg. It passed right through him, and Gaor disappeared oncr more, laughing as he went. This time, Roland didn't scream. Instead, he looked down at his leg in surprise and then slowly began falling to one side, his face growing paler and paler.

"Roland!" Navi cried again, rushing to his sack. "He didn't cut you! He didn't! Take a red potion! Quick!"

Roland didn't seem to be listening to her. Instead, he crumpled to the ground, clutching his side and wailing. The two Stalchildren in the cage looked on in despair, and Navi suspected that the battle would be over sooner than it had begun unless she did something. Without pausing another second, she rummaged through her own sack and picked out her ocarina, then put it to her mouth and tried to remember the song Koti had played.

I hope this will work. She thought, and then blew.

The notes came out clumsy and sharp, but they were the notes and they played the song of the rebellion. Within seconds, Navi heard a noise, and then the door behind them burst open and the bars clattered to the ground, well and truly shattered. Two Stalchildren entered the room, and it took Navi a moment to realize one of them was Koti. The two were dressed in the armor of a Stalfos, but it was much too large for them and it swung heavily on their small bodies. They also wielded daggers with crudely carved wooden hilts and shields that Navi recognized but couldn't quite place.

Roland looked up weakly, his face as white as the ghost that had attacked him. Koti and the stranger regarded him for a moment, and then Koti turned to Navi.

"You called us just in time, I believe." He said. "He's been attacked?"

Navi nodded, and then realized that he couldn't see it and swallowed a sob in order to speak.

"He was cut, but there isn't a wound." She said. "I don't know what to do!"

She paused as something began appearing behind Roland. Koti and the other Stalchild seemed to notice as well…they both ran over to Roland and grabbed the Ikana sword. Commander Gaor's face appeared in mid air, grinning at the shrunken figure on the floor and preparing to swipe. The two just stood there, clutching the sword and staring ahead.

"What are you waiting for?" Navi cried, pointing at the Commander. "Don't just stand there! Do so-"

"Now!" Koti cut her off, and then the two plunged the sword through the half-transparent figure. Surprisingly enough, it stayed in the air, and two seconds later Gaor had fully materialized. He lifted his arm and the sword, and then seemed to freeze. He looked down at the blade, lodged straight through his armor, and then gave a retching noise and doubled over backwards.

"That's it!" the Stalchildren inside the prison gave a little cheer. Koti instantly rushed over to Roland and gripped him by the arms, pulling him up roughly and ignoring his cries of pain.

"You haven't been cut." He said calmly, "You're fine. Just think through the pain. It will be over once we win."

Roland didn't seem to hear him. "My leg…he cut it off…"

Koti stared at him for a moment, then took his hand and placed a dagger there. Roland tried to grab it, but it slipped through his fingers and clattered to the floor.

"What's wrong with him?" Navi asked, flying towards them. Koti shook his head.

"I'm not sure." He answered. "The Commanders are powerful guardians. They use all sorts of magic…in any case, he's in no condition to fight."

He was interrupted a tinkling noise coming from somewhere. Navi looked around and then noticed the fallen dagger was trembling on the floor. Koti and the other Stalchildren seemed to notice too, and the two in the cage began pointing frantically at the floor.

"He's coming!" They said. "There!"

Commander Ashrai's head appeared in the floor and he flew upwards, cackling madly and swinging his blade around his head. The two Stalchildren rushed towards him, but by the time they could attack he had already disappeared into the ceiling. There was a moment of quietness, and then the dagger on the ground began clattering again as the floor rumbled beneath their feet.

"Are you ready?" Koti asked, and his companion nodded. Suddenly, he was shoved to the side as Commander Ashrai appeared between their legs, once again swinging out his deadly blade. The two were knocked to the side, their equipment scattering uselessly around them. Commander Ashrai smirked, and then caught sight of Navi.

"So, little fairy…" he began, pointing his blade outwards. "Fancy being the Master's newest soldier?" he quickly advanced on her, frozen to the spot as the blade came ever closer…

Whoosh! Something shot through the air from below with incredible speed and passed right through the bottom of Ashrai's armor. Ashrai's blade stopped its advance as the dagger that had once rested on the floor passed through his stomach, his neck, and exited the top of his skull with a sickening cracking noise. He doubled over backwards and screamed, and something fell to the ground with a clatter. There was a burst of bright blue flames, and then the Commander disappeared.

The Stalchildren sat up slowly. Navi herself blinked in confusion, then she turned to Roland who was strewn out across the floor, eyes shut firmly, hand stretched towards the place where the dagger had once been. She rushed over to him and fluttered in front of his face.

"Roland?" she asked quietly. "Roland? Are you okay?"

One of his eyes opened slowly, and he peeked at Navi from under his heavy eyelids. He opened the other eye, and then carefully pushed himself up off the floor.

"…yeah, I think I'm okay…" he stuttered, and then he quickly felt up his legs. A look of relief passed across his face.

"It hurt so much!" he said eventually, once he was assured all his limbs were intact. "I thought he'd cut my leg off!"

He looked over at the Stalchildren. "Thank you a lot…I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"Thank your fairy." Koti said, and he stood up and walked over to where a silver key now rested on the floor. He picked it up and moved to the cage, inserted the key in the lock and clicked it open. The chains guarding the door fell with a crash, and the two Stalchildren practically exploded out of their prison with cries of joy.

"Yes!" one of them cried, punching the air. "Thank you so much!"

"We're forever in your debt!" The other added, bowing clumsily. "Thank you young warrior! And thank you, fairy!"

"Um…you're welcome." Roland replied, turning a little red. Navi just nodded. The two Stalchildren rushed to the door and then exited the room, disappearing into the terrain as the others. Koti gathered his things and nodded at the two.

"The next time it will be easier." He said. "You have freed two of the six captured. Two more who can give you help the next time you find you need assistance. But be careful…we might not always be able to hear you. I must return to the rebellion now…good luck with the others."

He gestured to his companion, and the other Stalchild began to follow. Then Navi noticed the design on the shield and a flash of recognition flashed across her mind

"That's a Kokiri shield!" she exclaimed, pointing. "You're one of the missing Kokiri!"

The Stalchild looked up at her, hesitated, and nodded. Navi's worst fears were confirmed…she let out a gasp and a shiver traveled down her spine.

"Yes. I am of the Kokiri." The Stalchild said, lowering his head sadly. "I'm Fraye. And you…" he lifted his head a little, "you're Navi. Link's fairy."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roland lean closer and look at Fraye curiously. She wondered what to say next, but Fraye spoke first.

"You must be wondering what happened to the others. As far as I know they are safe and I'm the only one that's been changed. But I don't know for sure. It's best if you hurry and free the others so we can begin the rebellion."

He didn't say anything more. Instead, he handed the shield to Roland and put a bony hand on his shoulder.

"This shield is of the Kokiri forest, made from the bark of the once Great Deku Tree. It has protected many a Kokiri for generations, and I hope it does the same for you. Good luck."

And with that, Koti and Fraye left the room and, as the others before them, burrowed down into the ground and vanished. Roland and Navi were once again left alone. Roland examined his new shield with curiosity and perhaps a hint of glee, and then turned to the door as well and began to march out of the stone prison.

"Off we go then!" he said, swinging his new shield around contentedly. "Now that I've got something to protect me, this should be easy."

* * *

They exited the room and returned to the main cavern. Luckily, nobody was waiting from them outside the door…in fact, the cavern was almost empty. Navi and Roland could hear the sound of arguing coming from a tunnel entrance on the ground floor, and then the sound of clacking swords.

"Maybe that's Koti and the others." Roland reflected, looking around for any signs of advancing Stalfos. When they were sure nobody was coming anytime soon, Roland looked over at the tower and his eyes fell on the locked door.

"We need to get into the tower." Navi said, following his gaze. "That's where the rest of the Stalchildren and Kokiri are."

Roland frowned and pointed at it. "First we have to find the key." He looked around again, and then pointed to a door on the other side of the room on the ground floor.

"That door looks promising." He decided, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind them. One more cautious look around, and then he headed to the ground floor to cross over. The two darted across the dirt, scattering dust around as they approached the door, but the Stalfos still seemed to be occupied with their fighting. They got over to their destination without a lot of trouble, and Roland quickly opened it.

"Maybe this time we'll actually find the key easily." Navi joked, jumping inside before Roland.

As soon as she entered the room, Navi felt it. It was like a sharp stab to her senses…an overflow of magic in the air, and an unmistakable coldness flooded through her. She heard Roland enter the room, but it barely registered as she opened her mouth and screamed.

"Roland!" she shouted in alarm. "Look out! _Re-Deads!_"

Too late. The door slammed behind them, and she heard Roland take a sharp intake of breath.

The room they had entered was round, and in the floor were plunged five sword hilts. Some were Ikana, some were Hylian, Navi though she saw a Kokiri sword, and they were each plunged into the ground at different lengths. Surrounding the room were four cages, barred by a thick iron mesh, and in three of these cages stood a Re-Dead.

They were just as she remembered them. Brown, crinkly skin stretched over a thin skeleton, leaving tiny flakes of dust where ever they walked. Thin limbs stretching out towards them, forever grasping for something they couldn't reach. Sunken face staring outwards with sunken eyes, hollow pits that went on staring, unblinking and unmoving, for all eternity. They each groaned softly, groans of despair and longing, speaking of histories that had long since been buried. The coldness that surrounded them was despairing…she could feel Roland shivering beside her.

"Navi." He asked, voice barely a whisper. "What are they?

"Re-Deads." She replied, "Servants of Ganondorf."

"Re-Deads? Why are they called that?" Roland asked, taking a step closer to one of the cages.

Navi gulped. "Because…once, they might have been alive, but now they're just a shadow, an eco of life. They crave life. They want it so badly they'll try and take it from you, if they get the chance. And the worst part is, they're never satisfied. No matter how many people they kill, they'll just keep living a half life. Forever."

Roland took another tentative step closer. "How could someone create such monsters?" he whispered.

"Be careful!" Navi warned. "Don't get any closer or…"

Suddenly, an ear splitting scream erupted from the Re-Dead, causing Roland to jump back with fright. The Re-Dead launched itself onto the bars, latching on and clawing at its prison, wailing desperately. Roland and Navi scrambled back to the centre of the room and watched, horrified, as the monster grappled with the cage. After a minute or so it seemed to give up, and detached itself from the barrier. It walked to the middle of the cage and sat down, curling its knees to its chest and bowing its head as if to sleep, quietly groaning once more.

Nobody spoke for a moment, and then Roland stood up and brushed the dirt off his tunic. He surveyed the room again, a mix of curiosity and terror on his face, and then turned to Navi.

"Navi?" he asked. "How do we get out of here?"

Navi glanced at each cage, and stared long and hard at the last one to their right. There was a door behind it, their salvation, but how in Hyrule could they get to it?

"Search for clues." She suggested. "A lever, a crystal, a different colored patch of dirt. Maybe there's something on the swords. There has to be something that tells us what to do."

So they began searching. Navi examined the bars, trying to stay as far away as possible from the Re-Deads who surveyed them with their hollow eyes. Roland studied the swords, and tugged at one experimentally.

"Why do you think Master Stal created a new Stalfos?" he asked. "I mean, if he already had all those other ones, what's the point?"

Navi shrugged. "I don't know." She replied, scanning the walls. "I'm a fairy. We're a peaceful race, we don't think about war."

"But you are really smart." Roland said, tugging a little harder. "You seem to know a lot about…this stuff. How to fight. The Re-Deads. Why do you know so much?"

Navi didn't answer at first, and stared at the same patch of dirt for a minute, and then floated over to another cage.

"I was different." She replied eventually, regarding the bars. "I learnt some things along the way. It's a scary world out there."

Roland was silent. "I wouldn't know." He said quietly. "I don't remember the world. But I think it's less scary when you're with someone."

"What was that?" Navi asked distractedly, and then there was the sound of sliding metal and the bars in front of her began to move.

She jumped backwards, cart-wheeling away from the bars in astonishment. Roland, too, jumped back, loosening his grip on the sword hilt. The bars rose slowly, and with them rose the Re-Dead they housed. It looked around blankly for a moment, and then rested on them.

"What did you do Roland!" Navi shouted. "Shut the cage!"

The Re-Dead took a step forward and the bars were raised a little higher. Navi turned to Roland and saw he was grappling with one of the swords that were plunged into the ground.

"What are you doing with that?" she asked. "We need to shut the cage!"

There was another sliding sound, and then the sword Roland was grappling with fell into the ground. The cage instantly stopped its slow rise. Navi and Roland watched with relief as the bars slowly began to descend, and the Re-Dead was once again trapped in its steady prison. As slowly as it had risen it began to sit down again, head in hands, and moaned quietly once more.

Navi regarded Roland curiously. "Okay. What did you do?"

"I just moved the sword." He said, gesturing to the hilt in front of him. Navi flew over to get a better look.

"Maybe they're not swords." She said eventually, the idea dawning on her. "Maybe they're levers."

Roland looked around at the other swords, then bit his lip and looked up at the cage that housed the only escape route.

"If they're all levers…" he began. "Which one is the one we need?"  
Navi blinked. That was a good point. Which lever would be the one that opened the door? There were absolutely no symbols in the room to help them, and not a single marking on any of the swords.

"We may just have to try them." she said unsteadily, already regretting the words that were coming out of her mouth. Roland shook his head and pulled out the flute from his bag.

"Let's try Koti first." He said, and put the flute to his lips. He played the song, and they waited. Nothing. They waited a little longer, and then Navi remembered the fighting outside.

"He's fighting the Stalfos." She voiced aloud. "We're on our own."

The two stared at each other for a while, each debating what they should do, each not daring to say what they had to do. But the reality was in front of them…they had four cages, five swords and not a lot of time to debate what should be done. It was Navi who eventually flew over to another sword and said, "Let's try this one. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Roland hesitantly walked over and placed his hand on the hilt. It was a Kokiri sword, small and feeble compared to the weight and power of the Ikana swords. He looked at Navi, almost to make sure he was doing the right thing, and then pulled.

There was the sound of clicking gears, and then the door behind the cage opened. Roland and Navi both let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay…" Roland walked over to another one on the left. "Let's try this sword."

The next one was a Hylian blade, the tallest of each of the swords. Roland carefully took hold of it, and then plunged it downwards. Another clicking of gears, and then the cage behind them began to open. The Re-Dead in side looked up, and began to rise off the floor.

"Okay Roland, pull it up!" Navi warned. Roland grabbed the sword again and pulled, but then his face turned pale when it didn't move. He tugged it again, but it wouldn't budge.

"Navi! I can't move it!" he whimpered, tugging again. The bars had already reached the half way mark by now…the Re-Dead waited on the other side patiently.

"Navi!" Roland shouted again, struggling with the sword. "Help me!"

Navi flew over to his bag. "Roland, you've got to use your flute. Take it out and play the Sun song."

Roland let go of the sword and reached into his bag, but just at that moment the Re-Dead let out an ear-splitting scream. Navi blocked her ears and shut her eyes tightly, and when she opened them Roland was frozen to the spot, his hands halfway into his bag and a look of pure terror written across his face. His eyes were the only thing that moved…they darted between Navi and the Re-Dead, who had just begun advancing on them slowly but purposefully.

Now it was Navi's turn to rummage through her bag. She pulled out her own ocarina and tried to remember the Sun song, but kept fumbling with the notes in her panic. The Re-Dead came closer and closer, and Navi only managed to get worse and worse. Roland suddenly broke free of his binding spell…he jerked, and then laid eyes upon the Re-Dead behind him.

"_Navi!_" he screamed, and then the Re-Dead jumped on him.

There wasn't a scream, a groan, not a single sound. The Re-Dead just jumped, gripped Roland by the shoulders and then opened his mouth and bit Roland by the neck. There was a faint sucking noise, and then Roland began to jerk around manically, making little stuttering noises with each breath. Navi watched as he grew paler and paler while the Re-Dead sucked away at his life, gnawing hungrily at the poor boy as a dog at a piece of meat. Navi forced herself to look away, to concentrate, and her fingers flew across the ocarina's smooth surface until, finally, the Sun song rung through the air and the magic set itself in motion.

The Re-Dead instantly stopped…it fell off Roland and scrabbled around on the ground, almost like something inside it had stopped working but it wasn't sure what. Navi was surprised…that wasn't what it was normally supposed to do. The Re-Dead seemed to be having trouble getting up…it wriggled on the ground like a fish out of water, struggling to get each of it's limbs working so it could continue to feast. Navi instantly shot to Roland, who was only just standing. He wobbled a little where he stood, hand still in his bag.

"Get your flute and play the same song." Navi told him, flying over to the bag. "Quickly! While it's still struggling!"

Roland seemed to snap out of his daze at that point…he grabbed his flute from out of his bag, brought it to his lips and blew. Once again, the Sun song rang out, more powerful than the last time, and there was an electric sound beside them. The Re-Dead had frozen in its place, arms and legs outstretched to reach for them again, to taste the life that Roland still had inside him. Roland didn't need any more prompting…he pulled out his sword and brought it down on the monster with a great thud. It twitched, groaned, and then just lay still where it had fallen.

There was a brief pause, and then Roland sheathed his sword. Navi flew in front of his face and watched him worriedly.

"Roland?" she said quietly. "Are you okay?"

Roland blinked, but didn't say anything. He merely turned to the swords again and pointed to the nearest one.

"Let's start again." He said blankly, "This one might be…"

Suddenly, he paused mid sentence. A look of surprise and then frustration flashed across his face, and he turned to Navi and gestured furiously at the swords.

"Navi!" he exclaimed, pointing, "They're different lengths!"

Navi peered over his shoulder and nodded, "Yes, I know that. But what…"

"Navi, we started with that one over there, right? That was the shortest one. It was that cage there. Then we moved to that one, which was that cage there. The last one we tried was the biggest, and it was that cage."

Navi followed Roland's finger, and then it slowly dawned on her. She groaned and slapped her palm against her forehead.

The swords were different lengths. The shortest sword was at the other side of the room, and the biggest was behind them. It went in an anti-clockwise circle around the room. If they had just stopped and looked…

_I can't believe this._ Navi thought to herself. _I can't believe I was so stupid._

The two companions both turned to the cage with the door, each trying to guess the height of the next sword. They both rested upon an Ikana sword, which was dug about halfway into the dirt. Without a word, Roland walked over to the blade and slowly lifted it up. The cage began to rise, and the door behind it was freed.

"Yes!" Navi cried happily, instantly flying over. "Let's go!"

It wasn't until she reached the door that she realized Roland wasn't following. She turned to him, still holding the sword hilt, and gestured him over.

"Come on!" she said. "This way!"

Roland still didn't budge. He was looking down at the Re-Dead curiously, and Navi soon saw why. It had become transparent as it began to return to whatever place it had come from, and through its wrinkled skin Navi could see something gold and shiny.

"Is that a key?" Roland asked, tilting his head. They waited for the body to completely disappear, and then Roland picked it up and studied it.

"It is a key!" he said, pocketing it. "Maybe we'll be able to use that later."

Navi nodded. "Right. Now let's go!" she encouraged him, anxious to leave the room and the Re-Deads in peace. But once again Roland didn't move. He turned his head to the floor once again, where the monster had just been, and then gulped.

"It was horrible Navi." He whimpered. "I was…and then it…it was cold. I could feel it ripping my life away. It wasn't going to stop. It was a person, Navi. How could a person do that…?"

He trailed off, and the sentence seemed to hang in the air before them for a long time, long after Roland had opened the door and they left the Re-Deads far behind.


End file.
